Clayton: What Aldon Smith’s charge could mean for his Seahawks future
Apr 19, 2021, 2:41 PM
A warrant was issued Sunday in Louisiana for new Seahawks DE Aldon Smith. (Getty)
(Getty)
Aldon Smith’s stint with the Seahawks could be a short one.
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Three days after signing a one-year contract with the Seahawks, a warrant for the arrest of Smith was issued in Louisiana. Smith is wanted for second-degree battery for an alleged incident Saturday night at the French Press Coffee House in Chalmette, La., which is east of New Orleans.
According to the police, Smith allegedly choked a victim until the victim was unconscious. According to WDSU-TV in New Orleans, the incident is believed to have been caught on camera.
Smith, who was in Seattle last week for a visit and his signing, was out of football from 2016 until 2019 due to numerous off-the-field issues. He was charged with domestic violence, assault and false imprisonment in 2018 and pleaded no contest to a pair of misdemeanor charges to settle the case. He has twice been suspended by the NFL for substance abuse policy violations. In 2015, he was charged with hit-and-run, DUI and vandalism charges.
Last year, Smith had a great comeback with five sacks in 16 games for the Dallas Cowboys. Concerned about the off-the-field issues, however, the Cowboys didn’t re-sign him and he ended up in Seattle.
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty and this case will take some time. First, Smith has to turn himself in to the police, and the police have to determine where the case is heading. Then the NFL and the Seahawks have to make judgements about his football future.
On the football side, signing Smith looked like a great addition for the Seahawks, completing a great run of moves for the team at defensive end.
Seattle was able to re-sign Benson Mayowa and Carlos Dunlap. They added defensive end Kerry Hyder, who says he will try to be the next Michael Bennett. And they have plenty of depth with L.J. Collier, Rasheem Green and Darrell Taylor. Adding Smith seemed to put things over the top to a point that the Seahawks could repeat what they did along the defensive line during their Super Bowl-winning 2013 season when only one lineman played over 50 percent of the snaps.
Ownership might not be able to tolerate Smith’s latest charge, and the fact that it happened two days after signing his contract doesn’t help. The Seahawks are aware of the incident but naturally aren’t going to comment. Things could move quickly regarding Smith’s future with Seattle depending on what happens between Smith and the police.
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