The NFL is no stranger to players being arrested for offenses like driving under the influence. Up until 2015, they had a policy of fining a player for a first-time DUI, but that policy did little to detract players from getting in their cars while intoxicated. The league revamped its policies beginning in 2015, and as such, saw DUI arrests drop. There was also a drop in domestic violence arrests. Between 2005 and 2014, the NFL experienced about 15 DUI arrests per year. Once the policies were in place, DUI arrests dropped to about nine per year.
24/7 Sports reports on Aldon Smith, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, being arrested for DUI.
Last Monday night, edge rusher Aldon Smith, who previously played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders, was arrested in Mission, Kansas. Police arrested him for suspicion of DUI following a traffic stop. He was taken into custody and later released.
This is the latest in a long string of legal troubles for Smith. He was once an MVP for the 49ers and a first-team All-Pro in 2012.
On January 28, 2012, he was arrested for DUI in Miami Beach following his rookie year. On June 29, 2012, Smith was arrested after a house party where he was stabbed. The charges that Smith faced charges of three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon in San Jose, California. September 30th, 2013 saw Smith being arrested again for DUI in San Jose. On April 13th, 2014, Smith was arrested for reporting a false bomb threat.
Smith was arrested again for another DUI on August 6, 2015, with additional charges for hit-and-run. The 49ers released Smith on August 7th. On November 17th, 2015, Smith was suspended by the NFL for a year. That suspension would later become indefinite.