Malcolm Smith (American football)

Malcolm Smith (born July 5, 1989) is an American football linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks. Smith played college football for the USC Trojans, and was drafted by the Seahawks in the 7th round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Early years
Smith attended Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California. As a senior he had 31 tackles, 10 sacks, and four fumble recoveries at linebacker and ran for 919 yards on 118 carries with 15 touchdowns as a running back despite missing the first half of the season with a leg injury.

College career
As a true freshman in 2007 Smith played in all 13 games as a backup linebacker and special teams player. He finished the year with six tackles and a forced fumble. As a sophomore in 2008 he again spent time as a backup and on special teams. He finished the season with 18 tackles in 13 games.

In the 2009 game against cross-town rival UCLA Bruins, Smith led the strong Trojan defense for a 28-7 win. Smith returned the first UCLA interception 62 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. For his play, Smith was awarded the "Legend Nike Game Ball" for the National Defensive Player of the Week.

Smith has been called "one of our most aggressive players on defense" by fellow Trojan, Taylor Mays.

Seattle Seahawks
Smith was drafted with the 242nd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.

On Dec, 9, 2012, Smith picked up a fumbled kick return and scored a touchdown.

Personal life
Smith's brother Steve Smith currently plays wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams and attended USC from 2003 to 2006.

Smith has achalasia, a rare disorder of esophagus which affects its ability to move food toward the stomach. It started to affect him around the time of the 2009 Rose Bowl, where he began losing a few pounds of body weight each week because food would get stuck in his esophagus and he would have to throw it up. The weight loss was a problem as Smith tried to keep his weight up to 230. Originally diagnosed as acid reflux, further tests revealed the problem as achalasia. Smith underwent a surgical procedure called a Heller myotomy which helped somewhat, but he still has dietary restrictions that force him to eat very slowly.