Take a look at some of the best photos of the veteran wide receiver's first year with the San Francisco 49ers.
Sept. 22 is a challenging day for Torrey Smith.
It was on that day three years ago that the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver's younger brother, Tevin Chris Jones, was killed in a motorcycle accident in northeast Virginia.
Smith learned of his brother's passing shortly before a game against the New England Patriots. The former Baltimore Ravens wideout decided to play in the game and caught six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns in a win.
"It means a lot not just for us but for my family. ... That's for my little brother," Smith said on Sept. 24, 2012.
Fast forward to 2015, Smith continues to honor his brother's memory. The 49ers wideout wore custom football cleats on "Monday Night Football" in a Week 1 victory that read "RIP Lil' Chris" on the left shoe and "Always with me" on the right.
On Tuesday, Smith remembered his brother's passing in a must-read blog post titled, "Tomorrow Is Never Promised."
"I always understood that death is an inevitable part of life. At some point we all die, and before then many of us will have to bury someone we love. Three years ago today I received a call that would forever change my family and I still remember these words "Lil Chris is gone". Chris was my little brother. He was approaching his 21st birthday and we had plans to celebrate that following week. Chris was a great kid with big plans ahead of him. He had planned to start school in the spring, had a decent job working for a security company, and had just gotten his first apartment. I was proud of him and where he was going. When I received that call and learned that he had gotten into a motorcycle accident and didn't survive, I completely lost it. So many thoughts went through my head when the reality set in that I would never see my brother alive again.
It was the night before our big game against the Patriots. Instead of resting up for the game I was now heading home to be with my family. The Ravens staff was very supportive and made sure that I was able to get back home, not once mentioning the game we had the next day. That night I didn't sleep much, 2 hours might be stretching it. We spent the next morning trying to keep things as normal as possible, playing Madden and watching SportsCenter. Playing in the game the next day wasn't a thought in my mind. It didn't even become a real conversation until we were watching TV and saw an ESPN report that I wasn't with the team because my brother had passed away. My mom asked me what I was going to do and to be honest I was unsure. I didn't know if it was inappropriate to not be with your family during a time like this. I didn't want to hurt my team by trying to play and not being physically or mentally ready. After much thought and support from my family, I decided to play. That game was very emotional for me. The love I received from my team and fans was overwhelming. I'll never forget it."
