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Former NFL star Aldon Smith sentenced to one year in jail

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•04/07/23
Aldon Smith, Dallas Cowboys defensive end
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Aldon Smith looks on during a game on Nov. 8, 2020. (Cooper Neill / Getty Images)

Former NFL star Aldon Smith has been sentenced to one year in jail, according to a report from TMZ Sports.

Smith was hit with a felony DUI charge following a 2021 arrest at a Redwood City freeway offramp after rear-ending a truck, leading to an incident in which he allegedly tried to bribe the driver he hit into not calling the police.

The former San Francisco 49ers star pleaded no contest to the charges.

According to the Mercury News, court records showed that police found two empty bottles of hard alcohol in Smith’s truck when they arrived at the scene.

Smith declined a field sobriety test on the scene but later tested with a blood-alcohol content level of .288, about three times the legal limit.

The felony DUI charge was not Smith’s first brush with the law.

He had previously had three other DUI convictions, as well as domestic violence and battery charges, and had been suspended from the NFL on three previous occasions.

Smith’s NFL suspensions were for nine games, a year and then indefinite.

Smith was last a member of the Seattle Seahawks, but his NFL career had been broken up by some of his troubles. He was initially the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Smith played his first four seasons in San Francisco, then played one season in Oakland before an extended absence from the league. He returned with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 before once again falling out of the league.

During his playing career, Smith was immediately a very productive pro.

He arrived in the NFL by way of Missouri, instantly finding success with the 49ers after becoming a first-round draft pick. In his first season he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie team. In just his second season, Smith was named a first-team All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl.

In his first two years alone Smith recorded 33.5 sacks.

His production began to trail off considerably after that, as Smith made it through just 11 games in his third year and seven games in his fourth year in San Francisco.

Following his stint with San Francisco, Smith played nine games for Oakland in 2015, then did not appear in an NFL game again until 2020 with Dallas. In his lone season with Dallas he recorded 48 tackles, 5.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries and two passes defended.