(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
One of the NFL‘s more talented pass rushers in recent years will be serving time behind bars.
Defensive end Aldon Smith was sentenced on Friday to 12 months in jail after he pleaded no contest to a felony DUI charge in Northern California.
Former DE Aldon Smith sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest to a felony DUI charge.
via @tmz pic.twitter.com/puBURcAciB
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 7, 2023
Smith had a promising start to his career about a decade ago as a member of a San Francisco 49ers team that reached the NFC Championship Game three straight years and came close to winning the Super Bowl in 2012.
But he didn’t play from 2016 to 2019 after he was suspended for substance abuse, although the Cowboys gave him another chance in 2020.
That season, he started all 16 games and recorded 5.0 sacks, 14 quarterback hits, and five tackles for loss while starting each contest.
He hasn’t played in the NFL since.
Needless to say, fans are very disappointed in how Smith’s career and life have turned out.
Dude could have been one of the greatest players of the 2010s
— JTB33 (@JBeibs33) April 7, 2023
man he was sooo good his rookie year
— Christian the Lion (@PsilentAssassin) April 7, 2023
Bro broke a Reggie White record then decided to ruin his life smh
— E̴d̴w̴i̴n̴ (@KeneTouchdown) April 7, 2023
Wast of talent
— Calvin Ridleys Bookie (@S003247) April 7, 2023
Smith was the No. 7 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the 49ers, and he was part of a dramatic turnaround for them that season.
He had 14.0 sacks, 27 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for loss, and a safety as a rookie, which helped him finish second in the Defensive Rookie of the Year balloting.
The following year, he notched 19.5 sacks, 29 QB hits, and 18 tackles for loss while being named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro first team as San Francisco reached the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately, Smith’s production fell sharply starting in the 2013 season.
At age 33, it is possible a team will give him one final chance after he serves his sentence, but as of now, it is hard to imagine that happening, and thus his pro career is likely over.
The post Fans React To Today’s Aldon Smith News appeared first on The Cold Wire.