Aldon Smith will not face felony charges for airport incident

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office issued the following media advisory on Tuesday: “The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has referred the Aldon Smith case to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office for misdemeanor consideration.”

Considering Smith will not face felony charges for this incident, do you think the NFL will suspend him?

This article has 93 Comments

  1. That’s good news. He’ll serve his league imposed suspension (which is likely to be 4 games) and be back on the field. Like I said previously, he’ll be in a 49ers uniform for a long time.

    1. Nick,
      Aldon is a great talent and I hope for both him and the 49ers that he can get better control of his life.

      One of the reports to come out of this incident was that Aldon may have been drinking.
      If this is true I’m more concerned about him now than I was prior to his rehab last year.

      Aldon seems to have a problem with alcohol and until he can conquer it he may not be to far from another incident. Getting off the legal hook does not provide a life changing remedy.
      I don’t know who his agent is, but he should step in and direct Aldon to a support group or counseling.

      1. I would be surprised if he were not already in one. It seemed pretty obvious that he had a substance abuse problem for some time now. I made a joke suggestion on another site ( perhaps even this one ) that the Niner’s build in some cells into the new stadium so that players can serve any prison time right on site. They could be let out for practices and games. It would be much like the penalty boxes in hockey. Mess up you serve your time. Mess up again and back you go. Would keep them out of trouble. lol.

      2. @ AES,

        Let’s not Rush To Judgment with Aldon drinking like most people did with the Kaep Incident.

        Yes Aldon is guilty of being a Dunderhead for pulling that move at the airport but there was no evidence of him being drunk from the Police Report so don’t go there.

        That being said I hope Aldon has finally hit Bottom & realizes he needs to grow a brain but more importantly Grow Up!

    2. Seems odd but wouldnt these incidents could give leverage to 49ers IF OR WHEN negotiations start on new contract…i don’t see the 49ers cutting him at all..too much talent..can u imagine we cut him n he goes to the hawks..aldon could be the best DE/OLB ever!!!!

  2. Probably so..but depends on April 29th court case.That Will determine how many games he will get suspended.

  3. 5 encounters with law enforcement in 3 years = 1 big problem.
    Two crashes involving drinking, shootings at an out of control party, felony gun possession, the drunken incident at LAX.

    I think the NFL will lay down a suspension because of the growing body of doofus incidents. Just a hunch… 8 game suspension. I just hope they start the suspensions at game 1.

  4. Good news, but the pattern of behavior is the problem Aldon is going to encounter when in front of the judge on 29-4-14, and ultimately might be what gets him a short stint in jail. If that happens, I expect Goodell will give him a 6 game suspension. If he avoids jail time, and they don’t press charges on bomb gate, then I’d look for a 4 game suspension….

  5. To anyone that has had any dealings with ATS this outcome is not a big surprise. When one reads through the lines it seemed pretty obvious that there really was no bomb threat made rather a misinterpretation by ATS. Most people, however, have enough sense to never ever even mention the word ” Bomb” in any context because the ATS personal can not be trusted to put anything into it’s proper context. I truly believe they are chosen on their personal inability to reason, which guarantee’s that they will never think for themselves but always go by the rules. Of course that also means that they will overreact as well. Some lady was supposed to have said on a radio program that she was there and heard him say ” I am the bomb”. The same holds true for the Kaepernick incident. It just takes a little reading between the lines and falling back on the most likely scenario based on available information.

    1. Let me make this clear. Those bums at the airport TSA are NOT cops. They seem to think they are in the same profession which is an insult to cops everywhere. Cops are at least trained and competent.

  6. My gut tells me he doesn’t get suspended any games (maybe one game at the most). I’d be fairly surprised if there was a two/three game suspension; shocked if there was a four/six game suspension. Anything over four games is sure to get the NFLPA to file a grievance especially if there is no proof of any further alcohol abuse (beyond the speculation of an LAPD officer) and it’s used to strengthen the case for suspension by Goodell.

  7. Unless this guy does a serious 180,he’s not going to be a 49er after this year. 49ers have a lot of players they need to pay, including Kaepernick. I think the public image of the 49ers trumps his talent.

  8. Alex Boone should take him under his wing. He had a problem with the bottle and seems to have straightened out his life

  9. Lemonier and Skuta did a commendable job at OLB. Wilhoite at MLB too. If Tank fully recovers he can help both outside and inside pass rush. And then there is the Okoye experiment. All good.

    That said, the subtraction of Aldon and Bowman from any defense is a big blow. These are both HOF level talents. Nor predicting HOF, just noting their capabilities.

    When Fangio came on in 2011 he was great, but Manusky was no slouch either. Without Aldon the 49ers defense drops from downright scary to just “pretty good”… not that much better then the 2010 defense with its “solid front 7” but only serviceable pass rush.

    Like it or not, Aldon’s ability to get his head on straight could be the tipping point between division wins, playoff byes and Super Bowls… or wildcard games on dead legs. Its going to be a bumpy ride.

    1. Commendable, but not championship level. We lose smith we lose our pass rush simple as that

  10. Hooray for Aldon Smith and the 49ers!….He won’t fave felony charges for the ‘incident’ at LAX….though I’m a 9er fan from birth, and want and expect nothing but the best for the organization, there is this one question that keeps popping up regarding Aldon Smith and his place within the 49er organization, and that is, what would I do if I were in the position of Trent Baalke or Jed York? They’re looking at a key employee (thats right, employee) who seems to have a penchant for getting in trouble with law enforcement……..I’m not going to rehash the timeline of the Aldon Smith Saga, there’s no need to since we all know what’s happened and when….bottom line is that AS is casting a dark shadow on the 49er’s through his exploits, and if he were my employee, I would have to say ”see you later, and good luck in life”…..he’s gonna need it…..if drastic steps are not taken, this type of behavior is going to become the norm, because it’ll appear to be excusable..

    1. If only it were that simple. Think about it from this perspective, this league is about winning. If Aldon were just an “employee”, this would be simple. But it isn’t. Reality is that the 49ers are about to unveil a billion dollar stadium. They are changing astronomical prices for their seat licenses. To hold and raise the value of their investment, they need to stay relevant and they need to win. If the moral police ran this team, it would have a few more boyscouts, but getting to the playoffs in the best division in football would become that much tougher.

      Ask yourself if Aldon is more bad or more stupid? You have always had “characters” in football. There aren’t as many boyscouts as we think there are. These are guys that have to be CRAZY in the first place to play such a violent sport. Add young stupidity, testosterone and money into the mix and I would venture to say that it is extremely difficult to manage an NFL locker room.

      Here is an example of “stupid”. http://deadspin.com/389840/and-toward-me-he-charged-charles-haleys-bananas

      What has changed in modern times is the amount of sensational information that hits our screens now because of the likes of TMZ / Sports. Their job specifically is to dig down deep and get dirt on sports figures. Think about how many guys on this team have had drinking problems. Brooks, Kilgore, Aldon. We’ve all had benders. The difference between us and them is that when we go on a bender, it doesn’t show up on the front page and generally we don’t get fired from our job for what we do on our personal time.

      Now lets focus on the draft, getting better and winning number six…..

      1. Yep, we all have benders and wind up in the clink or with our truck against our neighbors tree with tires blazing.

        1. Jack I’m a second chance guy. I just remember my own youth and I think about the multitude of mistakes that I made. If you use those experiences wisely, you can come out the other side a better smarter man…

          Part of that wisdom is remembering that people are flawed. These young guys with all their money and fame are going to make mistakes.

          1. Bayarea its important to remember that there is a huge difference between “mistakes” and addiction. We make mistakes because of lack of impulse controll , maturity, emotional intelligence etc. These are all traits that can be over come pretty simply, addiction is not. Smith went to rehab and it seems that he might not have taken it very seriously. The avg addict quits his or her chosen substance 7 times before he or she either succeeds in staying clean, giving up or dying. A. Smith is only at step one.

              1. I agree. The best thing that could happen for him would be a suspension or forced leave of absence.

      2. Bay…
        You make quite a few valid points….but, the fact remains that Aldon Smith, inspite of his ability to rush the QB, is a distraction to the organization…the 49ers should not have to concern themselves with an ’employee’ that chooses to be an idiot when he’s off the clock. Make no mistake about it, Aldon Smith is an employee of the San Francisco 49er’s…and as an employee, he needs to use a bit of disgression when he out in public. Does he have an alcohol problem? Ya think?
        Concentrate on the draft, and look to pick up a player that can replace AS, because of his propensity for running afowl of law enforcement, and making extrememly stupid decisions in his off time…with the big moiney comes a bunch of responsibility, and it appears that AS would rather not embrace the responsibility…to himself, the organization, or the fans that help with his salary…

  11. Good to hear, but it’s unlikely to affect whether he will have to spend a short time in jail and/or what kind of suspension Goodell will hand down.

    1. Razor and Jack

      I sure as hell hope that you guys are being facetious….sometimes the cure is more deadly than the sickness….the kid is 24….what were you doing at 24? Of course between church meetings and volunteer work. I would almost guarantee that there are more people reading this blog who are chuckling…if not LOL

      1. Oregon,

        I had just graduated college, got married and bought a house.

        I am by no means perfect, just ask my wife, but I also am not willing to just brush off Smith’s transgressions as being “young and dumb.”

        For me, the bigger question isn’t just about Smith, it is with the 49ers organization as a whole. They preach about “gold helmet” guys, yet three of the four guys they drafted in 2011 have now been arrested and a fourth investigated by police.

        In addition, Baalke has brought in free agents from other teams with a history of arrest problems.

        In all the 49ers have had players involved in 8 arrests since January 2011, the 3rd highest number in the NFL.

        I would like for someone to take Baalke to task a little on this one.

        1. Already did that. Moving forward, you can’t continually pass on elite talent and not expect to hurt your football team. The game of football can not be played with 53 guys you’d want your daughter to date. The caveat is, when you draft guys like Aldon Smith, you have to make sure the proper support system is in place. The 49ers need to reassess their current methodology with Aldon….

          1. “The game of football can not be played with 53 guys you’d want your daughter to date.”

            Not trying to imply that you can, only that the 49ers as an organization need to reassess the way they evaluate the players they bring in.

            1. Jack you are making a comment like that without fully knowing how deeply they evaluated the guys that they have. You don’t know what percentage of players have issues and how serious those issues are.

              You also have to factor in that many of these guys can operate under the radar. What I can say is that it gets more difficult to get rid of them when they are a star like Smith. Or if you are think at a position like CB and a guy like Cully gets in trouble. Being in the toughest division in all of the NFL I am sure affects the way the 49ers want to deal with these issues.

              There is so much money at stake that I believe NFL teams are not beyond putting babysitters in place until the players “get it”.

              1. Bay,

                I don’t think that I’ve ever said the 49ers should get rid of Smith. They need to stop pretending that they care about Smith the person as much as they do Smith the pass rusher.

                As for Culliver, this is his first run in with the law that I am aware of. That’s a little different than the Smith situation.

                Of course there is a lot of money at stake, and the NFL is a win at all cost business. The 49ers won’t change anything unless the money train slows down, and that will come from sponsors who don’t want their brand associated with criminal behavior.

            2. You mean like the Ravens who brought in 2 time arrestee Bryant McKinnie to solidify their offensive line and win the Super Bowl in 2012? The same Ravens who are “Standing By” wife beater Ray Rice? How about the “Gold Standard” Patriots who once signed a guy who ran over and killed another human being while drunk? (In addition to the serial killer TE they drafted and then extended.) Didn’t Talib have legal issues before the Pats signed him as well? The NFL Network who put a serial rapist on TV as an analyst? ESPN fired Hugh Douglas for getting in a drunken fight with Michael Smith and (the original) MeShawn Johnson was arrested for wife beating as well. Oh and did the Kansas City police “arrest” the corpse of the guy who murdered his girlfriend and then blew his brains all over the Chief’s parking lot? Seems like counting arrests might not be the best way to judge a team’s off-field activities.

              But the NFL’s legal issues are not limited to players and ex-players. Irsay should be in jail for drug trafficking in addition to DUI. Haslam will probably slide on his fraud since this country doesn’t seem to care about white collar crime any more. But lets not forget the DEAN of felonious NFL owners. I don’t recall your outrage when the 49ers retired the “number” of a convicted felon (Eddie D).

              1. I don’t think there was a blog around back when DeBartolo was arrested, but when that went down I didn’t try to sweep it under the rug.

                The Irsay case will be interesting to watch play out. Remember the two Denver executives that were busted for DUI last offseason? Both were suspended, not sure where they are now.

                Regarding the other teams in the league, while almost all of them have some history with arrest issues, very few have taken it to the level of the 49ers in recent years.

              2. So in Jack’s world an “arrest” for drunk in public (that was such a poor arrest that Kilgore can apply to have it expunged from his record) counts as much as an arrest for murder or wife-beating? Reductive Simplicity strikes again! And since you haven’t once pointed out the FELONY Eddie D copped to while railing on Aldon Smith, I’m going to have to conclude you have swept it (and many other things) under the rug.

              3. I haven’t swept DeBartolo’s conviction under the rug. He lost the team as a result. What else would you like me to say about that?

                Of course there are various degrees of transgressions and both of those organizations should be held accountable.

                Over the last 2 years the 49ers have had a player smack a teammate over the head with a bottle, shots fired at a party along with a stabbing, a player arrested for multiple DUI’s (two of which resulted in crashing a vehicle), a hit and run and a few other guys arrested.

                If you don’t see it as a problem, oh well.

    2. At 24 I was probably a dumb ass like most guys are at that age, but there is a difference between being a dumb ass and being mentally incompetent. Aldon Smith shows zero understanding or awareness of what he can or can’t do, and it’s not going to help him if he keeps getting off on technicalities or because people view it as a young guy just being immature. Two people got shot at a party he hosted, he was stabbed, they found illegal weapons in his possession. That is a big deal that would set most young guys straight, but not so with Smith. He needs a wake up call in a big way and maybe a little prison time along with losing money due to suspension will be that for him.

        1. Me too Razor. Prison should be the absolute final final option. BTW I see that Delaney Walker and Aldon paid the guy who got shot off. Looks like he is dropping charges….

        2. Razor i agree with you with a couple caveats. #1 on top of visting a therapist he should take a meeting at least 5 times a week for his first 6 months of sobriety, then at least one a week for the remainder of his contract. #2 at least a 5 game suspension w\o pay. He may not be hitting bottom but losing that much money certainly is painful.

        3. I mentioned prison due to the fact he could face time on the weapons charge. I think visiting a therapist is a good idea and mentioned that in a thread around the time this happened, but it was pointed out to me that you can’t help someone who doesn’t want it, so he’d have to be serious about wanting help for it to work.

          Sometimes you have to have something taken away from you to get the message, and even then it doesn’t always work out.

  12. Draft position is rarely mentioned when evaluating a GMs performance selecting players. Below are (standard) chart values of 49ers drafts 2008-2013.

    Year – Chart Value
    2013 – 2,041
    2012 – 1,031
    2011 – 2,363
    2010 – 2,800
    2009 – 1,600
    2008 – 1,463

    Note: These points are for draft slots used. They do not include draft slots traded to following season(s).

    Makes the horrible drafts like 2012 look not so horrible (though still pretty dang bad).
    Takes (just a little) shine off the 2011 and 2013 drafts.

    Relative to chart value, 2008 could be the worse then 2012.

    If no picks are traded forward, the 49ers 2014 picks are at about 1775. The good news is the draft is deep this year at positions of need.

    1. Year – Chart Value – Players Selected

      2014 – 1775 – TBD

      2013 – 2,041 – Reid, Carradine, McDonald, Lemonier, Patton, Lattimore, Dial, Moody, Daniels, Bykowski, Marcus Cooper

      2012 – 1,031 – Jenkins, LMJ, Looney, Fleming, Robinson, Slowey, Johnson

      2011 – 2,363 – Aldon Smith, Kaepernick, Culliver, Hunter, Kilgore, R. Johnson, Colin Jones, Miller, Person, Holcomb

      2010 – 2,800 – Anthony Davis, Iupati, Mays, Bowman, Dixon, Byham, Williams, Adams

      2009 – 1,600 – Crabtree, Coffee, McKillop, Nate Davis, Pascoe, Taylor, RJF

      1. Year – Chart Value – Players Selected
        2008 – 1,463- Balmer, Rachal, Regie Smith, Cody Wallace, Josh Morgan, Larry Grant

    2. That’s an interesting and different way of looking at it Brodie. Cool stuff. Thanks for putting it together.

      1. Jack Hammer – Thanks.

        Year – Chart Value – Players Selected

        1986 – 1718 – Larry Roberts, Rathman, Tim McKyer, John Taylor, Charles Hayley, Steve Wallace, Kevin Fagan, Miller, Don Griffin, Popp, Cherry, Stinson, Hallman

        1985 – 1278 – Jerry Rice, Moore, Collie, Barry, Wood, Chumley

        The 1986 draft not only proved BW was a great talent evaluator, but he had a sense of humor too. Now we know what they cut the draft down to 7 rounds.

        1. I remember Walsh had a wry sense of humor when dealing with the media types. Not unlike Harbaugh in some ways.

          However, drafting Popp and Cherry because of the names…I don’t know. Seems a bit too sophomoric for Bill.

          Did Popp and Cherry make the team?

          1. I saw Popp was drafted just before Cherry. That triggered a Beavis and B***head response in my tired old noodle.

            Don’t think BW did that on purpose, but there’s a (slight) chance BW had a Freudian moment towards the end of a marathon draft day.

  13. He will definitely serve a suspension —- and he deserves to…. for just the mere fact that he even allowed himself be exposed to these sad situations

    On the other hand…..even with pocket change–let alone Aldon’s financial where-with-all–one ought to be able to hire a crafty enough attorney to kick the chit out the dumpy TSA and bureaucratic chomps over at the LA County DA’s office. These are the same stooges that bungled the OJ case — and they’re as incompetent as ever.

    Aldon, Culliver, and Mr Tattoo need to take up new hobbies — Go visit sick children in hospitals with all your spare time. Not only will you make the children feel better – but they will feel incredibly better about themselves.

    1. I believe you need to do more research Utopian44. “Mr. Tattoo” has does visit sick children. Sometimes doing a little research can keep you from looking ignorant.

  14. Next week is a big week for Aldon and his future with the Niners. On Tuesday he has his trial on last year’s DUI and also the illegal rifle possession charges. The outcome of this trial will determine the length of suspension imposed by the NFL. On Saturday the Niners have to make their decision on Aldons 5th year option. Some reports say they won’t pick up the option and some reports say they’re undecided. I haven’t seen any reports that say they will, but from everything I’ve read about the option, they would be very foolish not to pick it up. If the Niners want to bend to the media and public relations pressure they could still pick up the option and then impose their own suspension at a time of their choosing, and/or impose their own fine. Letting Aldon Smith get signed away by another team, especially the Seahawks, who would be first in line to grab him, would be the biggest mistake the organization has made since trading Charls Haley to Dallas. Aldon’s a game changer and I couldn’t give a rats @## about PR and what a bunch of media blowhards say about the whole Aldon saga. The Niners need to win another Super Bowl and Aldon has the ability to be a huge part of path to Lombardi Trophy # 6. And 7. And maybe even 8.
    Go Niners!

    1. Bar None Smith missed 5 games last yr with pay and his full salary counted against the cap. This year he may be suspended up to 8 games, his suspension will be w\o pay but his full salary will count against the cap. How many suspensions untill he is not worth it? How many players do we have to cut to make room for smiths salary under the cap, even though he is not playing. Maybe his next suspension is right before the playoffs. Would that be OK with you?

      1. Old Coach,

        I don’t believe the suspension will be 8 weeks long. I believe the league wants it’s stars on the field and on our TVs, not on the sidelines, and Smith is a star already.
        If his suspension was levied for the last 4 weeks of the season plus the playoffs,
        which I’m not sure they would do, tat would indeed suck. But not as much as not having him on our team at all. I just don’t think PR risk outweighs true impact player value, and like I said, I don’t care an iota about the PR angle. That will all b water under the bridge, and very swiftly, with a super Bowl victory.

        1. Bar None i’m with you i do’nt give a damn about PR but i do give a damn about not resigning quality players to sign Smith only to have him miss large parts of the season. Have his actions given you any reason to believe he wo’nt get drunk again and do something stupid enough to get another suspension.

  15. There’s a story on PFT about B.Roby getting cited for OVI (DUI) for being passed out behind the wheel of a parked car. Some details seem murky since his agent says he blew a .008, but he can’t have helped himself.
    Anyway, in the comments a lot of posters pointed out it was the evening of 4/20. A lot of others made cracks about how he’d be a good fit for The Niners now; with 40+ Dislikes and 250+ Likes. We as fans and the Team has to wear that now for a year or so due to the exploits of a few. I’m no Church Lady, but then again, there’s nothing funny about driving impaired.

  16. Davante Adams and David Fales among those participating in meetings for players with local ties for 49ers.

    1. They’ll tell Murphy today that they’re moving up in the 2nd to get him.

  17. Interesting rumor from Mortenson via KNBR. Niners supposedly talking to Raiders about #5 to get Evans. I doubt they go up that high but this may be an indication they are looking to go get a WR.

    1. Wow! Interesting! Thanks for posting that. I’ve been somewhat concerned about Mike Evans. I’m a fan of his and have seen him play in person many times. The guy is gifted athletically. He could be a star. He could also be a huge bust. His attitude and effort aren’t always the best. He tends to check out of games when he isn’t involved early and he pouts when he doesn’t get the ball enough – even when the team wins.

      I think there are too many questions about him to move up to #5 to take him. The risk is too high.

        1. I thought the same thing Razor….until I remembered how “respected” Mort is. At least when he confirms something that allows Grant to rip someone.

  18. I would not be surprised if he received at least a four game suspension regardless of the outcome of any of the pending cases. The NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy does not require a conviction for discipline to be levied. The determinative factor is whether the NFL’s investigation finds conduct in violation of the policy.

  19. I have a question for anyone who is familiar with the area around the new stadium. Are there any hotels within walking distance of the stadium? I’m going to take my nephew to the Cal Oregon game on oct 24. I would like to spend a few hours at the 9er museum then go to the game and possibly walk back to our hotel room.

        1. old coach,

          Hilton, Hyatt, and Merriots and near the stadium, but only Hilton could be within walking distance .5 miles.

  20. Baalke – 4/25/14.
    re: Aldon Smith;

    “Hope Aldon is with team in 2016. and 2017. And 2018.” “we’re a family. You don’t just open a door and toss people out.”

  21. Aldon isn’t goin anywhere!

    Well, maybe to jail for a couple weeks, but I doubt even that.

  22. Now this I like…

    ESPN’s Chris Mortensen stated on SportsCenter Friday that he’s “heard more than twice” the 49ers could be “ready to do something big” in May’s draft.
    49ers GM Trent Baalke is working with 11 picks, including six selections in the top 100, so he has plenty of ammo to execute a trade up. Mort suggested the 49ers targeting Texas A&M WR Mike Evans, perhaps with a move into the top five. Mortensen said Oakland is “open for business” at No. 5 overall, and compared the hypothetical scenario to Atlanta’s 2011 trade up for Julio Jones. Anquan Boldin is entering his age-34 season; Michael Crabtree is in a contract year.

      1. Would Watkins last until 5? It’s possible a move up to 5 would cost much less than a move up to 2 or 3. All depends on the two teams dealing. Our FO is pretty good at not overpaying when making draft-day trades.

    1. Perhaps they are targeting Clowney.

      Or maybe they are going after Johnny Football. The entertainment value of watching Grant’s head explode after the 9ers pick Manziel would be worth it.

        1. Grant Cohn March 5, 2014 at 1:00 pm

          I would not draft Savage or Boyd. They’re horrible.

    2. bayareafanatic March 10, 2014 at 11:12 am

      Give our #1 pick plus our number two and Cory Lemonier in exchange for the Raiders 5th pick in the 1st round.

      Given what has transpired with Aldon, I’m taking Lemonier off the table and instead This years #30, 56 and next years #32 to move up to #5 this year. Sammy Watkins…..

  23. I’ve been saying all off season that there’s no way SF trades up THAT FAR. No way. Can I be that wrong again? Sure, judging by past history.
    There’s a high end shopping list in that neighborhood, but I’ll wait and see.

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