Aldon's suspension is nine games

[sc85sis]

Having read this whole thread, I have a few opinions and observations.

As a Seahawks fan, I am delighted to see Aldon Smith suspended for 9 games. That said, I do think some of the punishment is BS.

IIRC, Aldon was arrested for DUI subsequent to his stint in rehab. If my memory is accurate, then that is a legitimate reason to disregard rehab in consideration of his punishment, or to minimise such consideration. And if the airport incident was alcohol related, that also mitigates against rehab being a substantial consideration in reducing his punishment.

The firearms charges, IMO, are far more squirly. There were three components IIRC -- a couple people getting shot, not by Aldon, but at Aldon's party; discharging firearm (shooting a pistol into the air); and possession of "assault weapons".

The first of those, two people being shot by someone other than Aldon, seems to me to be a case of guilt by proximity. AFAIK, there are no laws or NFL rules against holding a party, and I'm not really sure how Aldon can be held responsible for other people illegally carrying weapons into his party. Yes, if it's his house, he has liability, I get that. But (I'm pretty sure) it's not like he invited people to bring weapons to his party, so those shootings probably took him as much by surprise as everyone else who wasn't aware other guests were carrying guns.

Admittedly, I'm making some reasonable assumptions here that may be inaccurate, but I'm pretty sure if Aldon had a more active role in his guests having weapons, and somehow facilitated other people getting shot, he'd be facing prison time.

The second charge of firing a pistol (not at anybody) involves less ambiguity. I don't think anyone doubts he actually did that. I do think there is room for mitigation, given how the party turned out. I think part of the problem was that he fired the gun into the air (IIRC), and if that's the case, he might have been able to mitigate the charge if he had fired into the grass instead.

The third thing about the "assault weapons" possession charges, I have a really hard time with. Those guns were not involved in any part of the disorder, were out of the way in a closet, and I don't believe the police really had any reason to be searching. (Maybe if drugs were found at the party?) But this is a case where Aldon was the victim of being on a team in a state where the gun laws are rather draconian -- if Aldon Smith was a Seahawk living in Washington, this would never have been an issue.

That charge in particular is every bit as much BS as the weapons charge Marshawn Lynch was charged with (in the same state, go figure), when he had a pistol in a bag in the trunk of his car. (Where the hell else was he supposed to carry it?)

I lived in California once, for about 10 years. You couldn't pay me enough to live there again (no offense intended to residents of California.)

I'm guessing they used "probable cause" to search considering the other gun issues at the house that night.

 

[Marvin49]

That's just it, Martin, the commissioner CAN do whatever he wants. He's judge, judy and excecutioner in cases like this. You need to get real about the airport thing. The DA dropped the charges, but that doesn't mean Aldon wasn't breaking the law. I can drive at 90 in a 75, get pulled over and get a warning. I still broke the law. If I was a driver for a living and my employer found out, I'd expect some kind of punishment. Goodell is all about 'protecting the badge' or whatever. Aldon's name in the news for being a complete idiot at the airport is a stain on the league, so spare me the indignant routine of "He wasn't charged, therefore you shouldn't be allowed to punish him!", it makes you look like a muppet.

You're not just a homer, Martin, you're also incredibly naive it seems.

WTF are you even talking about? Do you even know?

I'm talking about what powers the commish should or should not have. I'm aware that he can do what he wants. That's my issue and I'm far from alone.

I'm done with this conversation tho.

Pretty clear that you are on the side you are on right now because its a 49er player.

 

[RolandDeschain]

Pretty clear that you are on the side you are on right now because its a 49er player.

Yeah, considering the hate we have thrown at Josh Gordon, I'm sure you're absolutely correct on this one.

 

[253hawk]

Professional athletes in all sports are coddled way too much when it comes to punishment. They are gifted enough to play and be paid exorbitantly in leagues to the point where it should be a privilege; not a right which constantly gets them out of trouble for being idiots. Players have been getting off amazingly easy for decades for things that could follow the average civilian around for the rest of their lives.

I expected 6 games minimum for All-dumb but I'm not surprised at 9. Crashing into a tree while drunk is one thing. Crashing into a tree and passing out with your foot on the accelerator for so long that the tires are turned into powder is goddamn frightening. Imagine if he made it downtown and drove up onto a sidewalk or something. And I'm not trying to excuse the Ray Rice incident at all, but he was a first time offender, there is no video evidence of who instigated what (all we see is the aftermath which is just conjecture at that point) and charges were never filed (she was only his fiance so she wouldn't get half of anything and smart enough to not bite that hand that's feeding her, or dumb enough to not leave him depending on how you want to look at it.) The old rule was 2 games for a first-time offense, so that's what he got. The new rule is much better, but it can't be applied retroactively "just because." The NFLPA lawyers would have a field day with that.

This stuff is so common sense that they should all be one-strike rules. With great power comes great responsibility.

Pot - Pretty much illegal everywhere. I don't even get the big attraction about it. The whole culture behind it is stupid, but the NFL's threshold is over 3x lower than that of olympic athletes. It's so low that just walking into a party should be enough make them think twice.
Booze - These guys make millions. Get a frickin' cab or just party in your ginormous mansion.
Guns - "Oh, these are illegal in CA?" Well, yeah. That's why you had to go to AZ to buy them in the first place. Duh. Thug life, yo.
Domestic violence - Obvious.

Sorry to put you on the cross and set an example, All-dumb, but the league has to start somewhere with actual punishment and you were the most egregious repeat offender by far. Hell, you could have given the 2006 Bengals a run for their money all on your own.

 

[dontbelikethat]

Damn, was not expecting 9 games after what Goddell said about the rehab factoring in. It is what it is though. Hope dude has his life in order.

 

[chris98251]

My problem with everything Roger does is the inconsistency, also given any situation that a athlete in the league is in or exposed to Roger feels he must be Judge Judy before facts and or a final decision is made. I know he says it's about image, but it also seems it's about a god complex developing under his watch. He is expecting players that have grown up in challenging situations to act in a way that they were never exposed to.

They still have family, friends, and associations with the people they grew up with and while choosing who you associate with is important there is still the element of the players whole life that you can't denie. Go back and you see many of the players from any era had run in's with the law, or situations that they had to appear in court or were seen in public in a light not quite choir boy status.

I really think that trying to orchestrate how he wants everyone to act and appear etc is a violation of the players right to due process and fair labor act. Yes you report a incident that could be detrimental to being able to perform your job at work, but you typically are not fired and or fined or suspended without pay till the final determination. Roger goes so far as he does that without a guilty plea even.

Where a player on the road or anyone intoxicated and driving is bad, or beating a female I think is bad I really don't think that the NFL should be in the business of law enforcement and the Judicial system.

 

[ZorntoLargent]

I figured he would only get a FIFE game suspension.

 

[CHawks4L]

I think the suspension is valid and fair. I was actually thinking 8 games, but perhaps Aldon's team preferred 9 plus participation with the team concurrent to suspension.

He had his free pass DUI, pleaded down to a reckless driving (same as Marshawn).

Then the gets the weapons charges, as a result of hosting a party where other guys were shot and he was stabbed. That's why police searched the house, and found the illegal weapons.

Then he hits rock bottom and gets the big DUI, crashing into a tree, just about passed out with his foot still on the accelerator.

This is why he had to go to rehab.

Post rehab, he can't make it through airport security without getting arrested by TSA and causing a ruckus. Sure charges were not filed, but that's the same as Niner fans saying Paul Allen paid off the DA. He was arrested, by airport policeman, so where there is smoke... It's not like some civilian chick claiming abuse against a celebrity so you have to agree Goodell has a right to defend the league.

I think he considered the rehab, and he was forgiving in allowing Aldon to hang with the team. That will be key to his chance at a full recovery.

If anyone should be complaining, the Browns fans should for losing Gordon for a year for pot. He's just stupid, because the drug policy is black and white. But Aldon is a legit danger to society, from his associations to his own behavior. Hopefully he corrects his life.

Next man up for Niners.

 

[UK_Seahawk]

When you compare all the stupid things Smith has done to what got Prater suspended then I think he was lucky just to get 9 games.

 

[NorCalHawk12]

Still not sure how the Niners go 7-1 in just 7 games.

 

[loafoftatupu]

He had a wet reckless then later had 2 different DUI charges in one sitting. One for DUI and one for driving at twice the legal limit. The gun charges are applied on a per banned gun basis. Smith knew it was illegal to have those guns because he had to buy them in AZ anyways. If he didn't know he was too stupid to own a gun. CA doesn't play the "I didn't know" card either.

Every new gun not permitted in the state of CA comes with documentation stating that very fact. CA isn't the only state that does it.

The punishment seems harsh, but we are talking about an unheard of number of issues put on the Goodell docket, all at one time. In that perspective it is like getting less than 2 games per issue.

 

[Sports Hernia]

Still not sure how the Niners go 7-1 in just 7 games.

Even if it was 8 games there is no way they go 7-1!

 

[NorCalHawk12]

Still not sure how the Niners go 7-1 in just 7 games.

Even if it was 8 games there is no way they go 7-1!

Nor I. But someone said 7 and 1 on the back seven.

 

[Scottemojo]

Remember the flak I got from Niner fans for saying Tank Johnson's 8 game suspension was the precedent?

 

[Sports Hernia]

Remember the flak I got from Niner fans for saying Tank Johnson's 8 game suspension was the precedent?

Yep.

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

Massive loss for them, obviously

The loss of Navarro will be far greater IMO.

 

[Tech Worlds]

Remember the flak I got from Niner fans for saying Tank Johnson's 8 game suspension was the precedent?

No

 

[SmokinHawk]

Firing a gun in to a crowd of people should net more than 9 games.

 

[RichNhansom]

Maybe the Niners fan base is just spoiled. Brooks smashes a beer bottle over the head of a team mate multiple times causing stitches and several players present filed reports. The DA's office issues a warrant for his arrest only to have someone above the DA pull the warrant sighting there wasn't enough evidence, even though they had signed statements and medical records as well as probably even had the beer bottle. The end result was absolutely nothing came of it. No arrest or charges, no punishment from the NFL or the team. It was washed and never looked back on.

Aldon shit on the shield several times before he was ever punished including a previous DUI but until this last event their has been no repercussions.

Still waiting on Cullivers results but it is right in the middle of all this.

Now Marvin believes even though there was video evidence of Aldon being drunk with audio of him struggling to spell his own name and a statement from an attending police officer stating that he believed Aldon was drunk, it should have no bearing on Goodell's decision. Roger said he would consider the rehab and there ended up being no charges so therefore according to Marvin, those 5 games should count towards the suspension.

He implies that since Rice only got two games either Aldon should have got less or Rice should have gotten more but he now ignores there was no charges for Rice let alone a conviction. If we are going by arrests or convictions then based on Marvins logic Rice shouldn't have received any punishment at all. How does that make sense?

Marvin you really should consider yourself lucky. Yes Aldon got a stiff punishment but when you factor in how much he has gotten away with while others on your team have also, 9 games is pretty damn light compared to what it could be.

Consider Browner had to fight a life time suspension for smoking pot and that was partly because he missed a test while not even part of the NFL. You can cry me a river when you consider the difference between Browner and Aldon.

You should also go read the "will Lynch be suspended" thread on the webzone. Most were hoping for at least a 4 game suspension and that was his first offense of any kind since being in Seattle, his first DUI and he blew half what Aldon did and it wasn't at 7:00am in a residential naighborhood while children were walking to school or even in the football season for that matter. They also didn't find drugs in his car.

 

[Largent80]

So losing 1 friggin player hands us the division?

What are you the SF Smith (s)?

When I look at the schedule, your drunk, gun toting player will be on the field when we play you.