Aldon Smith simply can’t catch a break.
Just a few days after signing a deal with the Seattle Seahawks, a warrant for Smith’s arrest was issued for an alleged second-degree battery in the New Orleans area on Saturday night, St. Bernard Parish District Attorney Perry Nicosisa confirmed to ESPN.
The saddening news comes just days after Smith had signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks following his resurgence during the 2020 season. Smith had been suspended from the NFL for the previous four seasons.
Nicosia said that Smith allegedly choked someone until they became unconscious during a confrontation at a coffee shop in Chalmette, Louisiana. The warrant for Smith’s arrest was then signed less than a day later.
It seems pretty obvious that the Seahawks are unlikely to entertain these theatrics considering Smith’s history. It is a sad reality for someone with Smith’s track record that teams simply won’t be giving him many chances when it comes to infractions like this one.
Seattle was already in trouble before this news, but the loss of another pass-rush specialist will certainly not be a welcome notion for the Seahawks brass. They are currently sitting third in 888sport’s NFC West odds table with +250 NFL odds to take the group.
However, without big improvements to their defensive and especially offensive lines, they don’t stand much of a chance against division-rivals trotting out guys like JJ Watt and Aaron Donald on their defensive fronts.
The charge for Smith was upped to second-degree because of the fact that the victim went unconscious during the altercation. This level of offense carries with it a fine of up to $2,000 as well as eight years in prison. The victim was taken to a hospital after the incident but did not suffer injuries that required an overnight stay.
It seems like this situation would warrant nothing more than some possible community service and/or anger management training to go with probation. Smith’s agent has not made a comment about the situation yet, and the Seahawks might as well have done the same based on what they did say in their statement.
“We are aware of the reports regarding Aldon Smith. Aldon notified us and we are gathering more information. We have no further comment at this time,” the Seahawks said in the statement.
Smith burst onto the season a decade ago in 2011 when he was with the San Francisco 49ers. He put up 33.5 sacks over his first two seasons, nailing down NFL records for most sacks over a player’s first two seasons and fastest to 30 sacks (27 games).
Off the field issues eventually forced Smith away from his team and led to his release from the Niners in 2015. He was signed by the Oakland Raiders for part of the 2015 season before he was suspended by the NFL, a ban that would end up stretching for four years.
Smith returned from his suspension last season and put up five sacks in 16 games for the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas did not look to re-sign the 31-year-old, however, which led to his landing in the Pacific Northwest via free agency.
