Aldon Smith Released by the 49ers

Aldon Smith will be released by the San Francisco 49ers, just hours after news of his latest arrest for DUI emerged.

According to Jim Trotter of ESPN, Smith met with 49ers GM Trent Baalke and refused to accept responsibility for the DUI.

It was the last in a long list of incidents while a member of the 49ers. Last May, San Francisco exercised the fifth-year option on Smith’s rookie contract, which would have paid him the average of the Top 10 at his position.

According to Field Yates, Smith restructured his deal with the 49ers to prove he could be reliable. Most of his originally guaranteed salary was converted to game-by-game bonuses if he played. That made the financials of cutting him much less costly for the team today.

Smith was in the last year of his rookie deal, also faces a likely suspension after last year’s 9-game suspension from the league office, and the number of incidents made it a formality that he would be released. This adds to the defensive turnover in San Francisco, where Justin Smith retired, along with Chris Borland and Patrick Willis, and Ray McDonald was also cut for his off-the-field issues.

Meanwhile, it’s obvious that Smith has a drinking problem, and needs to get real help. Here’s hoping that he can get it turned around and eventually make his return after addressing his personal life.