Aldon Smith might have been a starter in the San Francisco 49ers game against the Indianapolis Colts, but he is not expected to be back with the team for some time following the loss. The linebacker was arrested early Friday on suspicion of a DUI after his truck hit a tree. Smith has now been ruled out indefinitely and is expected to seek treatment.
49ers CEO Jed York briefly addressed the situation on Sunday following the game. Smith has been ruled out for Thursday night's game against the St. Louis Rams. York only acknowledged that Smith was getting help in order to fix a problem and that the team was committed in assisting him. Despite the arrest, Smith was still active on Sunday, recording five tackles in the loss. York defended his decision to allow the linebacker to start.
"Our opinion is if you're sitting someone down and paying them to sit down when they're going to seek treatment in the future, we didn't feel like that was an appropriate punishment," York said, via ESPN.com "We're not trying to circumvent what the NFL will do. This is about making sure that Aldon has the opportunity to work on something, to get better, and he knows that he has our support and hopefully he has everybody's support in something that is going to be very difficult."
Smith apologized to the team and the organization for his actions. He vowed to remain committed in getting the issue solved in order to avoid any future repercussions. Under the collective bargaining agreement and the NFL's substance abuse policy, San Francisco cannot suspend Smith after the arrest. It is up to the team to enforce discipline. York praised the linebacker for taking matters into his own hands.
"I think this was the best thing for Aldon," York said. "Again, there's no right answer here. We're very fortunate that nobody got hurt, Aldon included and anybody else. And we want to make sure that Aldon is never in a position like this again."
This is not the first issue has had with the 49ers. Earlier in the month, the linebacker was named in a lawsuit after he claimed he was shot at a party held at Smith's house. The linebacker and tight end Delanie Walker were named after reportedly being intoxicated and firing gun shots off a balcony.
The loss of Smith certainly hurts the 49ers. He is a large part of the pass-rush defense for the team and leads the team in sacks. He recorded a franchise-record 19 ½ sacks in 2012.
