Promising San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Aldon Smith needs to be careful or he’s going to get hit with a Pacman Jones-like year-long suspension. The Pro Bowler was arrested yet again this morning, this time for crashing his pickup truck, allegedly while under the influence.
According to TMZ, police officers responding to the scene gave Smith a breathalyzer, which he allegedly failed. Later, they searched his vehicle and reportedly found marijuana. He was promptly taken to jail for both of those reasons and later released on $5,250 in bail. Down the road, the arrest could affect his ability to drive, but that’s far from the most pressing concern at this moment. In fact, it’s not even clear whether he’ll be allowed to play this coming Sunday.
Since Smith’s selection seventh overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Missouri product has made a tremendous impact on the field. He set a 49ers record for most sacks in a season and an NFL record for fastest ever to hit thirty sacks. Unfortunately, as much success as he’s had on the field, he’s had just as many negative headlines off of it. In just the past two years, he’s gotten a DUI, gotten stabbed during a party at his own house and gotten sued for allegedly letting some other guy get shot at his house. Because of all that, this latest DUI/ marijuana issue will be taken very seriously by the league office. He won’t be looking at Aaron Hernandez-like problems, of course, but given how proactive the NFL now is about everything, it wouldn’t be a shock to see at least a game or two message sent.
Everyone makes mistakes including professional athletes, but there’s a difference between screwing up once in a blue moon and establishing a pattern of reckless and inappropriate behavior. Smith needs to get his life together. For his sake and the 49ers sake, I hope he’s able to do that sooner rather than later.
