49ers’ Aldon Smith’s Tumultuous Offseason Continues

There comes a point when perhaps you should just consider staying at home and playing some Nintendo or watching a movie. If the San Francisco 49ers’ breakout rookie hasn’t reached that point yet, it might be time for some crazy pills.

In an offseason that has seen the 2011 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year already get arrested for a DUI, which seems to be a necessity for young players in this league, the reports broke this weekend that Smith had received “minor stab wounds” but that he would be okay.

First off, how do you receive “minor” stab wounds? I could stab myself in my pinky toe right now and I would not call it “minor.” Secondly, what the hell was he doing that put him in this kind of scenario?

According to reports, Smith was said to be breaking up an altercation between some individuals at a large house party. Sounds chivalrous, right? Apparently two others got shot. Nice work putting yourself into that kind of situation, Aldon.

This is a special ending to an offseason that has also been met with reports by his neighbors that the 22 year old millionaire likes to fire handguns in his backyard. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a big believer in the 2nd amendment. I do live in Texas, after all. But even I know you can’t be doing that, man.

We’ve heard and seen things like this from young and reckless athletes in the past and it rarely has a happy ending. Is Smith going to be the next in a long line of professional sports players that “could have been great” if they’d of just had their head in the right place? There’s no way to tell for certain, but if he doesn’t learn his lesson after being stabbed, I’m not sure anything will teach him.

I know it seems like I’m beating a drum about this kind of stuff this offseason, but something has to be done to further discipline these players when the season isn’t in play. It seems as if every year the arrests go up and the community work goes way down. But other than threatening year-long suspensions, I don’t really believe there is anything that Commissioner Goodell can do about it.

Aldon Smith is in a great situation with a franchise whose needle is pointing up and a coaching staff that is going to see him be wildly successful. The world, right now, is his oyster and he wants to live it up. I understand that, I was the same way at 22 and I was flat out broke as a joke. But you have to consider the ones who make that lifestyle possible for you; your employer. If he ends up arrested, or worse off, dead…

In short, the kid needs to get his act together and I hope this is the kind of event in his life that will make him consider doing so.