Wife of former Houston Texans general manager loses breast cancer battle

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Tiffany Smith, whose husband, Rick Smith, took an extended leave of absence from his duties as the Houston Texans' general manager, has died.

On Thursday, Smith said his wife lost her battle with breast cancer.

In a statement, the former Texans GM said:

Tiffany Avery Smith my wife of 17 years, passed away today at 12:00 noon, after a fierce battle with Breast Cancer. She was beautiful, courageous, and a wonderful wife and mother. I was honored to be her husband and I loved her dearly. My family and I, are in such gratitude for the outpouring of love and support we have received during her course of treatments. Thank you for your prayers, well wishes, dinners, rides to school, and all the many gestures of love and support we've received during this time. We are blessed to be in this community. God bless you all.

After the end of the 2017 season, Rick Smith said he was stepping away from his duties with the team to help his wife in her cancer battle.

At the time, he said he expected to return to the team.

"This is a comma, not a period," he said.

The Texans then hired Brian Gaine, a former front-office assistant with the Buffalo Bills, as general manager.

Smith was Houston's general manager for 12 seasons after taking over in 2006.

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