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(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

On June 13, the San Francisco 49ers confirmed the death of their former pass rusher Aldon Smith. Smith, who was 36 years old, played for the Niners from 2011 to 2014 after being drafted seventh overall in 2011.

Former 49ers offensive lineman Alex Boone was a teammate of Smith’s during their time with the Niners. Boone co-host the “49ers Collective” podcast and had the opportunity to reflect on his former teammate’s death.

“He was such a special character, and he was so strong, and he never looked at it that way,” Boone said on the June 16 edition of “49ers Collective.” “I think that was one of the biggest things.

“When you first played him, you were like, ‘Well, he’s not that strong. He might get on me, but he’s not strong, right? I’ll be okay.‘ Then he would pick people off the ground, and you’d be like, ‘He’s stronger than you thought, isn’t he?’

“… Honestly, Aldon was such a great character. I loved him to death, and he was a great dude. He had his issues, and it is what it is. I think I sympathized with him more than anybody because we had the same issues.”

During his four seasons in the Bay Area, Smith had 120 solo tackles, 32 assists, 44.0 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and one interception in 50 games for the 49ers in his career, per StatMuse. As part of confirming the news, the 49ers issued a statement.

How Aldon Smith Was In the 49ers’ Locker Room

Moreover, Boone shared that Smith was in the 49ers’ locker room during their time as teammates and described the special bond the group had.

“He was a funny guy,“ Boone added. “Everybody loved him. I don’t think anyone had any issues. And that was the great thing about that team was everybody loved everybody on that team. Like differently.

“There were some guys that kind of had a little beef with others, but that’s normal. For the most part, nobody really messed with him… I think the hardest thing, too, was when he had to go to rehab that year. Everybody missed him so much. We missed him as a team.”

Larry Krueger on Covering Aldon Smith During Niners Stint

Moreover, KNBR’s Larry Krueger shared his thoughts on Smith having covered him when he was with the Niners. Krueger noted their professional relationship while covering the team and stated that the former 49ers pass rusher could’ve been the best ever at his position.

“He was a great postgame interview because he was very cerebral about the game,“ Krueger said in that same episode of the podcast. “He liked it and didn’t mind doing the postgame interviews. I’d go up to him and ask, ‘Hey, got time?‘ and he’d say, ‘Yeah, absolutely. Let’s talk.‘

“He was just a guy who was thoroughly dominant. My only thought is what could have been because he could have been a Bruce Smith. He could have been somebody who was among the greatest who ever played the game.”

The cause of death for Smith has not been released. However, his family is seeking answers through a posthumous brain examination.

According to ESPN, Smith’s family plans to send his brain to specialists in Boston to determine whether chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) may have contributed to his death.