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The Cleveland Browns are standing with defensive end Chris Smith after thetragic death of his girlfriend Petara Corderoearlier this week.
Ina press conferenceon Thursday, Freddie Kitchens, the head coach of the Browns, said that the team is “going to support Chris,” calling him a “great dude” and “good in the locker room.”
“Our hearts and our prayers go out to him, his family and her family,” Kitchens said. “Really, really sad.”
“We try to build a culture around here where we hold each other accountable,” he added. “When you do that, you have to start caring about people. This goes beyond football. This was a 26-year-old young lady at the highlight of her life. Not to get too personal about it … Chris is a good dude. She was a good girl. We just want to support him in any way we can.”
(L-R) Petara Cordero and Chris Smith.Petara Cordero/Instagram
When asked if Smith would be playing in the Browns’ next game, Monday against the New York Jets, Kitchens said he couldn’t “say one way or the other on that.”
“I know from an emotional standpoint, we are going to support Chris, I am going to support Chris and his teammates are going to support Chris. I have not even given one thought about [whether he will play],” Kitchens said. “I do not want Chris to even think about that. I told him yesterday, this is beyond [football], okay?”
Kitchens also said that “everybody” in the Browns locker room “is hurting” for Chris.
“Chris is important to us. Chris is important to this locker room. Everything he is going through, we feel,” he said.
Cordero was a passenger in Smith’s Lamborghini when a tire blew out, causing their vehicle to swerve and hit a median on I-90 West in Cleveland, according to the Browns’ statement.
The driver of the Mazda admitted to drinking before the accident, and a toxicology report is pending, Cleveland policetold CNN. Smith was not impaired, both the Browns’ statement and CNN reported.
On Wednesday, Browns’ team owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam offered words of support for Smith, who will be excused from team activities to grieve “as he sees best fit.”
Smith and Cordero had announced their daughter Haven’s arrival on social media less than a month before her sudden and tragic death.
NFL Player Chris Smith’s Girlfriend Killed in Roadside Accident a Month After Welcoming Daughter
Cordero also sharedphotographsof their new addition on Instagram, writing, “This little girl has filled my heart with so much joy and love !! I’m so thankful that God chose me to be her mommy!! So excited for this life journey with you!!! Haven Harris Smith.”
source: people.com
