Aldon Smith DUI arrest shows a sad pattern and troubling truth of pro sports

Smith was arrested Monday afternoon on a DUI cost in San Mateo County, going southbound on Freeway 280 close to Farm Hill Boulevard, the San Mateo sheriff’s workplace and CHP confirmed. As a result of there was an damage concerned to a celebration in one other car — the main points haven’t been launched — the cost was a felony. Smith was jailed in a single day and launched on bail.

Smith, now 32, has been arrested a number of instances; this was at the very least the fifth arrest for driving beneath the affect. The primary time was a couple of days after his rookie season ended, simply 9 months after the 49ers had made him their first-round draft decide in 2011, No. 7 general. That ought to have raised alarms along with his employer, but it surely didn’t appear to.

As a substitute, it launched a sample all too acquainted on the planet of sports activities of forgiving again and again. Are you able to assist our soccer workforce? In that case, your battles together with your private demons are secondary.

Smith was a generational expertise who appeared early in his profession as if he might be headed to Canton. As a substitute, he simply retains heading, time and again, to jail.

The newest arrest comes simply weeks after one other younger NFL star, Henry Ruggs, crashed his automobile in Las Vegas whereas reportedly driving 156 mph on a metropolis avenue, with a blood alcohol stage of twice the authorized restrict. The wreck killed a girl and her canine and significantly injured his passenger. The Raiders launched him hours after his arrest. He faces 4 felony expenses.

One other cautionary story. One which too many will ignore.

That Smith hasn’t killed anybody is stunning. Essentially the most well-known of the litany of Smith’s arrests got here in 2013, seven months after the 49ers had performed in a Tremendous Bowl. Smith had 19.5 sacks that season and was named workforce MVP. After his morning arrest, on suspicion of driving beneath the affect at a time when children have been heading to high school, he was bailed out of jail — reportedly by the workforce — and was again on the facility that afternoon. Two days later, Jim Harbaugh began him in a house sport, a loss to Indianapolis. It was solely after the sport that Smith entered therapy and was away from the workforce for 5 video games.

Harbaugh enabled him. Then common supervisor Trent Baalke enabled him. Too typically his older teammates excused him.

Two extra arrests later, in August 2015, Smith was lastly launched by the 49ers. He had been suspended for 9 video games in 2014 because of the arrest the season earlier. The ultimate straw was when he, as soon as once more, was arrested on expenses of hit and run, driving beneath the affect and vandalism.

On that day, then coach Jim Tomsula pledged that the workforce would proceed to help and assist Smith.

“He received’t must stroll this path alone,” Tomsula mentioned. “We’re not frightened about soccer. It has nothing to do with soccer.”

Did he stroll that path alone? It looks as if it. And Smith additionally defied the speculation that the routine and self-discipline of being with a NFL workforce would hold him in line. He bought arrested each within the offseason and throughout the season. The construction of a workforce couldn’t defend him.