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San Francisco 49ers: Is Aldon Smith’s career over?

By Robert Brewer

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The curious case of Aldon Smith took another bizarre turn as the Pro Bowl pass rusher was arrested for the fifth time in his troubled NFL career. According to an ESPN.com report, Smith was taken into police custody on Thursday night and charged with hit and run, driving under the influence, and vandalism.

The San Francisco 49ers organization finally ran out of patience with Smith and decided to release the troubled sack artist following his most recent infraction. Will another NFL team take a chance on Aldon Smith or is his considerable baggage not worth the risk?

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Despite the NFL’s recent efforts to appear like an image conscious league, it is still a bottom line business. In other words, past transgressions will always be forgiven if the player in doubt can still produce. In this case, Aldon Smith is only 25 years old, relatively injury free, and just a few seasons removed from an incredible 19.5 sack season. From the NFL’s perspective, I think the door is wide open for Smith to return to action.

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Furthermore, I think a return to the San Francisco 49ers isn’t outside the realm of possibility for Smith either. According to a report from Emmett Knowlton of BusinessInsider.com, 49ers’ head coach Jim Tomsula addressed the unfortunate circumstances facing Smith in a very emotional press conference. “Although [Smith] won’t be playing football for the San Francisco 49ers, he will be supported and helped, and he will not have to walk this path alone. That comes from our ownership down,” Tomsula said.

With such a heartfelt message delivered by his head coach, I view it as a very clear signal that those within the 49ers’ organization really care about Aldon Smith’s well being off the field. That is why I can envision Aldon Smith not only resuming his NFL career, but resuming it with the team that originally drafted him seventh overall in 2011.

Jan 15, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula looks on during the introduction as the 49ers head coach at Levi

Eventually, Smith’s return to the gridiron will ultimately depend upon himself. Is football a priority to him? Does he play football because he earns millions of dollars doing it or does he play for the love of the game? Does Smith understand that it is a privilege to be a part of the National Football League? Does Smith want to be remembered as an all-time great?

In order for Smith to find definitive answers to these questions, he will have to utilize this time away from the game to do some serious soul searching. In my opinion, it seems that Smith has taken his football career for granted to this point. Perhaps getting released by the very team that has given him so many chances to rehabilitate himself was the wakeup call Smith needed to turn his life around. If Aldon Smith continues his self-destructive pattern of behavior after his release from the 49ers, then clearly football was never his priority to begin with.

May 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith (99) during organized team activities at the SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Given his prior track record of run-ins with the law, Aldon Smith will certainly face some sort of initial suspension from the league. However, I don’t think a pending suspension or excess personal baggage will deter the 49ers or some other team from taking another chance on him. He is an immensely talented young man with a penchant for blowing up the backfield. That being said, I predict Smith will be back in the NFL at some point.

Wrestling opponents down to the turf is fairly easy for Aldon Smith. Now the question becomes whether or not the talented performer can tackle his inner demons with similar success.

Next: San Francisco 49ers: Will Derek Carrier become leading tight end?

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