Billy Ray Smith, top-5 NFL draft pick, dead at 64; family says CTE caused dementia
54 of the San Diego Chargers is in action against the Miami Dolphins during an NFL game Oct. Smith's cause of death is still pending, while Lemieux died by suicide by hanging and McMichael suffered from ALS. Former running back Chris Johnson revealed earlier this year he, too, has been diagnosed with ALS.
- ▪54 of the San Diego Chargers is in action against the Miami Dolphins during an NFL game Oct.
- ▪Smith's cause of death is still pending, while Lemieux died by suicide by hanging and McMichael suffered from ALS.
- ▪Former running back Chris Johnson revealed earlier this year he, too, has been diagnosed with ALS.
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| Original publisher | Fox News |
| Canonical URL | https://www.foxnews.com/sports/billy-ray-smith-top-5-nfl-draft-pick-dead-64-family-says-cte-caused-dementia |
| Publication time | Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:13:33 -0400 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-07-30T19:24:59.947Z |
| Last seen | 2026-07-30T19:24:59.947Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
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| Summary | WeSearch · cerebras-chat (WeSearch summarizer) |
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| Cluster | q5hlH3RZBRol · 1 stories |
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Basis: Derived from the published RSS/Atom feed. Contact: [email protected]. Reviewed: 2026-07-24.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Los Angeles Chargers Billy Ray Smith, top-5 NFL draft pick, dead at 64; family says CTE caused dementia Chargers owner Dean Spanos called Smith 'a Charger for life' who played his entire 10-year career in San Diego By Ryan Morik Fox News Published July 30, 2026 3:13pm EDT Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video The NFL will continue to take chances on talented players like Brandon Aiyuk | Don't @ Me w/Dan Dakich Armando Salguero explains that the NFL will continue to give talented players chances because teams think they can fix the problems. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Former San Diego Chargers linebacker Billy Ray Smith died this week at the age of 64, his family announced.
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