Oakland Raiders News 2015: Aldon Smith Suspended One Year by the NFL
The Oakland Raiders saw themselves lose on a gamble they made on Aldon Smith when the NFL announced that the linebacker has been suspended for one year without pay due to a violation to the league's substance abuse policy. The announcement was made Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Smith pleaded not guilty on a September case of misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run, coupled with vandalism and drunk driving. The charges were filed based on a reported incident involving Smith last Aug. 6.
The statement said that Smith will only be eligible to apply for reinstatement not earlier than 60 days before the one-year consummation of the suspension.
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The news of the suspension is a huge blow to the Raiders that decided to gamble on the trouble-magnet Smith, since the team badly needed his talents. He originally signed a one-year deal on the same day the charges were released to the press. The August incident is actually the fifth time Smith has been arrested since 2012.
Team officials, though, are quick to express confidence in the seventh overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft. "Aldon has been a positive addition to the Raiders. He remains prominently in our long-term plans, and we will continue to support this member of our family as he gets the help that he needs," team officials said in a statement.
But Smith does not have an automatic reinstatement after the suspension. League rules say that he will have to apply first after getting the eligibility to do so by November of 2016. The current deal with the Raiders is worth $1.25 million on base salary, together with $250,000 as per-game roster bonus and another guarantee of $2.75 million if he was to produce at least 10 sacks, per ESPN report.
If only Smith can straighten things up, he'll definitely become an integral part of this Raiders team that needs defense. But the question of when that should happen is still largely debatable as of the moment.
