Scott Legato/Getty Former University of Michigan and NFL football star Braylon Edwards.
University of Michigan football legend Braylon Edwards is credited with saving the life of an 80-year-old assault victim at a YMCA, police say. The former NFL player intervened in an attack in the locker room at the Farmington Hills YMCA on March 1, 2024, WDIV reports.
A 20-year-old suspect, identified in jail records viewed by Heavy as Malik Ali Smith, was later arrested and charged with assault. He is being held on $250,000 bond at the Oakland County Jail, records show.
Farmington Hills Police said in a press release that the unidentified victim was knocked unconscious and suffered facial injuries, and was hospitalized in serious but stable condition. According to police, Smith fled from the scene but was taken into custody after another citizen called 911 and reported his location.
“I’d like to thank the good Samaritan for taking action to stop the suspect in the midst of a vicious assault, and I’d also like to thank the vigilant citizen for calling 911 when they observed the suspect attempting to conceal himself from police,” Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King said of Edwards and the other citizen, whose name hasn’t been released. “These actions demonstrate the pride citizens have in the safety of our community and the strong relationship our department enjoys with our community members.”
Edwards, 41, is a Detroit native who played wide receiver for the Wolverines from 2001 to 2004. Edwards went on to be a first round pick in the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns and also played for the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks before retiring in 2012.
Braylon Edwards Said He Saw the Suspect About to Slam the Elderly Victim Onto a Counter in the YMCA Locker Room
Edwards told WDIV, “I walk into the locker room after work, and basically, I hear about four rows behind me arguing about music and how it was being played too loud. So I’m not paying attention, and I was just minding my business.” He said he then heard “fighting sounds” and a thud and decided to intervene.
He told the news station, “And then I see the guy for what I was thinking was reaching for a phone underneath the victim grabs the back of the victim’s head by the hair, and he was about to slam it down on the counter.” Edwards then stepped in and stopped the attacker, a move police credit with possibly saving the victim’s life.
“I didn’t know it was that serious, I mean the victim probably had a serious concussion by nature but It wasn’t until I talked to the detective Jacobs down in Farmington who told me that if I didn’t step in but at the end of the day that’s what you do,” Edwards told WDIV.
King, the police chief, told The Associated Press, “He absolutely saved that man’s life. I’ve been a police officer going on 29 years. When these assaults are ongoing, really bad things can happen.”
Edwards
Oakland County JailMalik Ali Smith is accused in an assault at a Michigan YMCA that police say was stopped by ex-football star Braylon Edwards.
According to the Farmington Hills Police press release, the incident happened about 10:45 a.m. “Officers arrived on scene to find an 80-year-old male resident of West Bloomfield Township unconscious with severe facial injuries in the men’s locker room,” police said in the release. “A second subject, a 41-yearold male resident of West Bloomfield Township, reported to officers that he had entered the locker room and observed the suspect actively assaulting the victim who was already unconscious and bleeding on the floor.”
Police added, “The second subject told police that he immediately intervened and pulled the suspect off the injured man, at which time the suspect attacked the good Samaritan, who was able to fight the suspect off. The suspect fled the scene of the assault on foot.”
Investigators identified the suspect using YMCA membership records and began searching the area for him using a drone and K-9. “An observant citizen noticed the suspect and called 911 to report his location. Officers immediately responded to the location on Parkhill Street, north of 12 Mile Road, and took the suspect into custody without incident,” police said in the press release.
Edwards Said on His Radio Show ‘I Had to Do What I Had to Do’
Thank you all for all of the ♥️. At the end of the day i just did what was right, much like a lot of other good people in this world. 💯〽️
Edwards wrote on X on March 4, “Thank you all for all of the ♥️. At the end of the day i just did what was right, much like a lot of other good people in this world. 💯〽️”
On his radio show on March 4, “Ermanni & Edwards With Maz” on the Woodward Sports Network, Edwards said, “I was fine on my end. … I had to do what I had to do.”
“I knew it could have been a serious situation if I didn’t step in but it wasn’t until the detective called me Friday night, he said, ‘Hey I just want you to know before we take your final statement, if you didn’t intervene this guy would be dead,'” Edwards said. “Cops talk plain. They talk black and white. He said ‘If you didn’t step in this guy’s life would have been gone.’ So he thanked me and I think that’s when it started setting in.”
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Michigan Football Legend Saved Elderly Assault Victim’s Life at YMCA, Police Say