‘My cards were given to me, I didn’t choose my deck of cards,’said Michigan State football star Armorion Smith, 21, as he reveals tragic reason he is raising his five siblings on his own

Following the tragic death of his mother last month, Michigan State football star Armorion Smith, 21, has been left to raise his five younger siblings by himself

Mother-of-six Gala Gilliam, 41, died of breast cancer in August

Her eldest child, Armorion, then assumed legal guardianship of his four minor siblings ranging in age from 2 to 16 years

The criminal justice major juggles being a student athlete with managing the lives the four minors with the help of the second oldest, his 19-year-old sister

Following the tragic death of his mother last month, Michigan State football star Armorion Smith, [photo], has been left to raise his five younger siblings by himself

Michigan State University star defensive back Armorion Smith has been left to raise his five younger siblings by himself following the tragic death of his mother.
His mother, Gala Gilliam, died at the age of 41, of breast cancer a month ago and without a father in the family’s life, Smith is now head of household while still in college studying criminal justice.
He is also and playing major college football.
The 21-year-old became the legal guardian for four siblings on September 11, 2024. Speaking with the Associated Press, Smith opened up on becoming a legal guardian to his brothers and sisters at such a young age after their mom, Gala Gilliam, died of breast cancer last month.

Gala Gilliam [photo], died of breast cancer in August at the age of 41. Guardianship of her six children then fell on her eldest, Armorion Smith, a 21-year-old student athlete. He has been left to raise them himself with his help of his 19-year-old sister

Smith and his siblings were seen embracing one another at their mother’s funeral. He become legal guardian to his brothers and sisters after the family’s matriarch died of breast cancer last month

‘My cards were given to me,’ he told AP while standing on a small porch behind their four-bedroom, two-bathroom home as the sun set on a recent evening.
‘I didn’t choose my deck of cards.’ 
Smith’s 19-year-old sister, Aleion, is in charge while he is gone for about 12 hours most days to be a student and athlete.
Appreciating her selfless sacrifice, he said he hopes to help her find a way to start taking classes next semester while juggling her role with the family.

Smith, 21, opened up on becoming a legal guardian to his brothers and sisters seen, [photo], together at their family home], at such a young age

The Michigan player looks and sounds determined to help his siblings be happy, healthy and safe. His teammates watch in awe.
‘I couldn’t even begin to imagine if I was in his situation,’ linebacker Jordan Hall said. ‘He’s in a tough spot, but he is one of the strongest guys I have ever known.’
Smith grew up in in Detroit, recalling how he was homeless at times and hopped from house to house to find places to sleep. He was a three-star prospect at River Rouge High School and attended the University of Cincinnati for two years.
After Smith’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 during his sophomore season with the Bearcats, he transferred last year to be closer to home. The life lessons from his mom continued.
When Smith, holding his two-year-old sister, arrived at a recent fundraiser, each of his other siblings introduced themselves to people there to support the family and shook their hands while making eye contact.
‘That’s from my mom,’ he said.

Michigan State football player, Armorion Smith has become a legal guardian to four of his younger siblings, including Avaugn, 15, Arial, 11 and the youngest aged two

She was trying to prepare him for what was to come before she died August 19. She was just 41.
‘She used to tell me everything: “Get hard” and all of that,’ Smith recalled. ‘And I see why she was under a lot of stress.’
Smith keeps notes on his phone to help manage busy days that start before dawn, when he is up to make sure his two sisters and three brothers are awake before he leaves for school.
He gets a lift from a teammate or a ride-hailing service to make the 4-mile trip to campus for therapy on his surgically repaired shoulders and meetings with the football team before going to classes and practice.
His eldest sister gets their 16 and 15-year-old brothers, Armond and Avaugn, and 11-year-old sister, Arial, ready for school. There are two varieties of Cap’n Crunch atop the refrigerator in a kitchen that didn’t have a table or chairs during a recent visit.

Smith has teamed up the second oldest, his sister Aleion [photo], 19, to organize the home, ensuring their school-age siblings, Armond, 16, Avaugn, 15, and 11-year-old sister, Arial, stay and keep up with school. Aleion then gets to baby sit the two-year-old, while Smith attends classes and trains with the team

‘My cards were given to me, I didn’t choose my deck of cards,’said told AP, as he reveals tragic reason he is raising his five siblings on his own

The school-age brothers rely on a ride-hailing company to get them to school and back while their oldest sister cares for their toddler sister, Amaira.
‘Me and my sister got to work together to keep this all afloat,’ he said. ‘While I’m in college sports, she’s got to be able to take care of everything that I can’t do, like pick up where I left off, while I’m taking care of business.’
He and the siblings he is now responsible for at least have a home thanks in part to a GoFundMe campaign. The financial support has enabled Smith and his family afford renting a house in the state capital, paying for utilities, bills, food and ride-hailing services.