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Former NFL defensive end Aldon Smith has agreed to a plea deal in connection with a DUI case beginning in December 2021, as the former Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers player now he could face up to 16 months behind bars.
The 33-year-old, whose troubled timeline has seen him face at least five arrests in the past decade for drink driving, accepted a no contest plea at a hearing in Northern California on Thursday.
In exchange, the court agreed that it would not impose a sentence on [Smith] over 16 months in state prison,’ the San Mateo County district attorney said in a statement via TMZ, adding that probation is also likely on the table.
Aldon Smith agreed to a plea deal related to a 2021 DUI case in exchange for reduced jail time
The defensive end’s legal troubles began 11 years ago when he was with the San Francisco 49ers.
Smith is now expected to learn the length of his sentence in March. He received the two felony DUI charges in December 2021, when he allegedly crashed his GMC Sierra pickup truck into a stopped vehicle on a freeway off-ramp in Redwood City, California.
In the most recent incident, the driver of the other vehicle, who sustained injuries to his back, wrist, knee, leg and foot, told officials that Smith had allegedly told the victim that “there can be no cops here”.
Prosecutors later said empty liquor bottles, specifically rum and vodka, were found in the vehicle of the 2011 NFL first-round pick. Smith later “refused to submit field sobriety tests,” though it was eventually revealed that he had a blood alcohol content of .15 at the time of the crash, prosecutors alleged.
Smith, 33, was released by the Seattle Seahawks in 2021 months before the DUI arrest
In court, the 6-foot-4, 265-pound player first pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was released by the Seahawks shortly before the DUI arrest and has not played in an NFL game since the Cowboys’ roster in 2020.
2013 mugshot of Smith after being arrested in San Jose, California following a single vehicle accident
Currently a free agent, it’s unclear if Smith has any desire to return to professional football, though it remains to be seen if any team would consider signing a player who has a rich history of run-ins with police.
He previously settled with prosecutors following his 2015 DUI report, according to TMZ, and did not contest the hit-and-run charges. Smith was sentenced to 20 days in jail and another 90 days of probation in a residential treatment center. He was also ordered to take anger management courses.
Smith was arrested for DUI in 2012 and 2013 prior to his 2015 booking.
He missed time during the 2013 season to undergo treatment at an inpatient facility following his DUI arrest on September 20, 2013. That November, he pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of unlawful possession of an assault weapon, stemming from a June 2012 party at his house.
Seven months later, in April 2014, Smith was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after allegedly claiming he was in possession of a bomb. Interviews eventually revealed that he was not carrying a bomb and the local authorities decided to drop the charges.
Smith about the Oakland Raiders in November 2015, three months after his third DUI arrest
Smith received a nine-game suspension by the league that season.
In April 2017, Smith was arrested in San Francisco after an SUV he was riding in crashed into an undercover police car, injuring two officers. Police said Smith was detained for public intoxication but was not arrested.
The woman driving the van was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.
In March 2018, Smith was arrested after his ex-fiancée, Shawna McKnight, accused him of assaulting her and biting her wrists.
Smith was released by the Seahawks in August 2021 after he allegedly assaulted a man in Louisiana.
In 2018, Smith’s ex-fiancée, Shawna McKnight, reported a domestic violence case to the police.
He was booked on lesser charges of intentional infliction of bodily injury, assault with force likely to result in grievous bodily injury, false imprisonment and vandalism.
He was arrested later that month after allegedly violating a court order to stay away from her.
In April 2021, the St Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for Smith’s arrest for second-degree assault after an incident in which he allegedly assaulted a patron at a coffee shop in Chalmette, Louisiana.