As if John L. Smith hasn’t already had a terrible week, the Arkansas coach is currently in Idaho burying his brother, Bart, who passed away on Monday, the school announced.
“Coach John L. Smith flew to Idaho Falls last night following practice to attend the funeral of his brother (Bart) who passed away Monday. The funeral is being held this afternoon [Thursday] and Coach Smith will return to Fayetteville early this [Friday] evening,” a statement from Arkansas read.
Smith will coach Saturday’s game against Rutgers.
The news of Smith’s loss comes on the same week that it was revealed that he has just hundreds of dollars on hand as he continues to make his way through a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case.
First and foremost, our thoughts are with Smith during this difficult time. I’d also like to issue an apology for making light of Smith’s “Smile!” rant at the beginning of the week. Whether or not Smith knew of his brother’s passing at the time isn’t clear, but the two events did occur on the same day. It’s a reminder that you never really know what’s going on in someone’s life.
(Hat tip: ArkansasSports360.com)