Falcons fullback Keith Smith was one of the few members of the organization to land on the team's reserve/COVID-19 list this offseason. He revealed Thursday evening that he did indeed test positive for the disease.
Smith wasn't the only member of his family to contract the virus, however, but he was fortunate enough to recover. His cousin wasn't.
"Mike was about my age," Smith said. "I think he was 30 or 31. But just he … I think he had (an underlying condition), which didn't help with this situation. It was tough to see that. He fought it for three weeks. He was on the ventilator and everything.
"[He] actually found out that his wife was pregnant, and they had a baby on the way. It was real heartbreaking and sad to be so close to something so serious. It puts life into perspective. It just makes you cherish what you have."
Smith's cousin, Michael Neazer, died on July 17, just shortly after he and his wife discovered they were having a child. The Falcons fullback first went on the reserve/COVID-19 list on July 29, and he was activated from that list on Aug. 15.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn said Smith remained engaged while away from the team and that he was worked in slowly upon returning to practices.
"He's a real pro's pro," Quinn said of Smith. "He didn't miss a beat when he came down. We kind of worked him back into shape. We didn't just say, 'Ok, go. Take all of the reps,' but he's really nailed it and we've tried to use him in all of the unique ways that we have."
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September 04, 2020 at 09:45PM
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Early Bird Report: For Keith Smith the loss of a cousin due to COVID-19 'puts life into perspective' - AtlantaFalcons.com
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