Oakland Raiders pass rusher Aldon Smith went to court Friday, and one of the items to be discussed was a violation of his probation. But it was not a new incident, much to the relief of Raider Nation and fans of Smith everywhere.
The original report, via CSN Bay Area, indicated that it was unknown what Smith had done to violate his probation. However, in the light of the actual proceeding the report was updated to indicate the probation violation was actually his August arrest from 2015. He was already on probation at the time, so his hit-and-run DUI was the violation.
This is fantastic news for Smith, the Raiders and their fans. While it reminds us all of his many past troubles, it is very encouraging that Smith has kept himself out of trouble since August.
Hopefully this means he is taking advantage of guys like Charles Haley, who understands Smith’s struggles and was “deeply saddened” when he was arrested last year.
Smith, at the age of 26, still could have a very bright NFL future ahead of him after he is re-instated by the league after serving his one-year suspension. When healthy in body and mind, he is one of the game’s true terrors to opposing quarterbacks. Before his legal troubles caught up to him, Smith tallied 42 sacks in his first 43 games.