CLEVELAND — In a news conference on Thursday, head coach Freddie Kitchens says the team is supporting Chris Smith in every way possible, following the news that his girlfriend was killed when a car hit her on I-90 Wednesday morning.
Kitchens took a moment to react to the news of Petara Cordero, the girlfriend of Smith and the mother of their 4-week-old daughter, whose death has left an entire organization in mourning.
Calling it “an emotional time” Kitchens said, “We are going to support Chris. He’s a great dude. Good in the locker room. We are going to support him, and our hearts and prayers go out to him, his family, her family. Really sad.”
Kitchens said the team will get through this together because they care for each other.
“We try to build a culture around here where we hold each other accountable so when you do that, you have to start caring about people,” Kitchens said. “This goes beyond football. This was a 26-year-old young lady at the highlight of her life. Chris, not to get too personal about it, but Chris is a good dude. She was a good girl. We just want to support them in any way we can.”
Cordero, 26, who was a passenger inside a Lamborghini, was killed when another vehicle driven by a 47-year-old woman who admitted to drinking struck her as she stood in the north shoulder of I-90 westbound. Both Smith and Cordero were standing outside the vehicle when she was struck.
When asked if Smith will be available this week, Kitchens reiterated that there are more important things that come before football.
“I haven’t even given one thought about that and I don’t even want Chris to think about that. I told him yesterday this is beyond this, okay. We can make it whatever we want to. As people in the business, as people covering the business, and I’m not saying you are, but in general, guys this is life. We like to say different things about life when it doesn’t really matter, but once it starts affecting you, it gets serious,” Kitchens said.
“And that’s the way we should approach every area. That’s what we’ve tried to instill in these guys, so when you have a bunch of guys that are close and continue to move in the same direction, it affects everybody because you end up caring about the person," Kitchens said.
Smith, who has been with Cleveland since signing with the Browns in 2018 as a free agent, is well-like among fans in Cleveland and in the locker room. He’s considered a friend, a mentor and a big brother to many who stand next to him on the sidelines.
Kitchens said he's constantly telling the team that this football season is a journey.
“If you want to get the most out of your team, you have to start, at some point, caring about each other. And when you do that, that builds relationships. And Chris is one of those guys. His smile is infectious. His personality is infectious. He’s just overall well-liked. Everybody in that locker room is hurting for him,” Kitchens said.
Kitchens expressed the importance of Chris having caring people in his back pocket, pointing to all his teammates who are ready to help him through the grieving process and beyond.
"When you go through bad things in life, you want people around you that care about you and that care about you for the right reasons,” Kitchens said.
He added, "Chris is on my mind right now. His family is on my mind. Her family is on my mind. The 4-week old baby is on my mind. It’s a difficult time, but we are going to get through it. There’s never going to be an excuse. We’re going to get through it. I promise you that. But we’re going to get through it together. Chris is included in that. His family is included in that."
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