Like Josh Gordon and Justin Blackmon, Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Aldon Smith seems like he's going to be one of those massively talented players who can't stay out of trouble and ruins his NFL career.
The NFL came down hard on Smith, slapping him with a one-year suspension for violating the substance abuse policy. Smith was arrested for DUI, hit and run and vandalism on Aug. 7, and the Raiders were bracing for Smith to be suspended. They just didn't expect him to be suspended until next November, as ESPN.com's Bill Williamson pointed out.
The Raiders took a shot on Smith after the San Francisco 49ers cut him right after Smith was arrested for that DUI in early August. Smith claimed he wasn't driving drunk. He had, however, had similar off-field issues in his past. The 49ers felt they had to move on after that incident.
The Raiders seem more patient. They will stick with him through the suspension, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said.
If Smith can stay out of trouble, he is a talented player who once was a first-team All-Pro with the 49ers. He is just 26 years old, so it's not too late for him to have a productive career without any more incidents after he returns. But a year off from football won't be easy for him as a player. Although he had sacks in his last two games, he has only 3.5 for the season, a dip from his normal production with the 49ers.
Still, he was a big part of the Raiders' defense and was effective putting pressure on the quarterback, making sure teams couldn't focus all their attention on outside linebacker Khalil Mack.
Now Smith is done until next November. It's hard to say if he'll ever have the type of career it looked like he was on track for early in his 49ers career.
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