Former NFL defensive end Aldon Smith was sentenced to a year in jail after pleading no contest to a felony DUI charge from December 2021 in Redwood City, Calif., according to TMZ Sports. San Francisco TV station KRON4 confirmed the news.
In addition to his 12-month sentence, Smith reportedly received five years of probation that will go into effect right away.
In the December 2021 incident, Smith smashed his truck into the back of a Recology truck at a stop sign, leaving the driver of the truck with minor injuries.
Police stated that Smith attempted to bribe the driver with $1,000 for a ride and to not call police, according to The Mercury News. However, California Highway Patrol officers came to the scene and found two empty bottles of hard alcohol in Smith’s truck, according to court records obtained by The Mercury News.
With officers on the scene, Smith reportedly refused to take a field sobriety test but later took a blood test that indicated a blood-alcohol content of .288, more than three times higher than the legal limit.
Smith, who holds the 49ers’ record for the most sacks in a single season, was troubled by several off-the-field issues during his NFL career. He served three previous DUI sentences in addition to battery and domestic violence charges.
The former first-team All Pro was also suspended from the NFL on multiple occasions, missing four seasons before returning to the league in 2020 when he started 16 games with the Cowboys, his last NFL stint. Smith signed with the Seahawks in the ’20 offseason but was released before the start of the preseason that year.
