Za’Darius Smith’s retirement took the Eagles by surprise last season and the veteran outside linebacker explained the decision in his first press conference since coming out of retirement to join the Falcons.
Smith said on Tuesday that family matters led to the decision to step away from the game because it was the only way he could be with his mother during a difficult time.
“I wasn’t supposed to retire ,” Smith said. “I wasn’t going to tell the story, but I’m going to tell it. I got a phone call from my mom’s doctor telling me that she don’t have much longer to be on this Earth. I let the team know. Obviously they wasn’t trying to let me…
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