Last season Aldon Smith was one of the biggest reasons the San Francisco 49ers boasted an elite defense that struck fear into the hearts of opponents last year en route to a Super Bowl berth.
Off the field, however, Smith's wild lifestyle caught up with him, leading to a drunken driving arrest and felony weapons charges. On Tuesday night, Smith surrendered to authorities on weapons charges stemming from an incident in which he and then-teammate Delanie Walker allegedly fired guns to disperse a house party at Smith's home.
He was released on $75,000 bail shortly afterward and met with his 49ers teammates Wednesday. He has spent the weeks after his DUI arrest, the second since 2011, on indefinite leave that remains ongoing. Smith even met with head coach Jim Harbaugh.
"I met with him face to face today," Harbaugh said. "Aldon was in the building. ... It was great to see the reaction of others who saw him and Aldon's reaction of being back here with some of the guys. He looks great, and we're having a good day. I mean, that was the object of today -- let's have a great day. I think that's the way Aldon's approaching things, each day, too ... the goal to have a great day."
Smith had plenty of "great" days when he was wearing the cherry red jersey and gold helmet of the 49ers. In his first two seasons Smith racked up 33.5 sacks and 80 tackles; this season he was on pace for more of the same, having recorded four sacks through three games before becoming embroiled in his current legal situation.
It's unclear when or if Smith will be able to return to the field, but when he does NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said his proactive approach could help lessen a penalty upon his comeback.
"The issue here is not to discipline players," Goodell said. "The issue is to stop the behavior. And Aldon ... has voluntarily said, 'I need help.' We are obviously there to support him, and the 49ers did a great job getting him into a facility to try to get that help. We all support that. So, yes, it will be a factor, for sure."
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