Aldon Smith makes Greg Hardy look like a choir boy

[Golfzilla77]

Well, the league is likely littered with felons that just haven't been caught yet anyway Might as well get a few good football players since everyone else has problem children of their own anyway

 

[Sarge]

Welcome aboard!

 

[Stash]

Maybe but that big of a turn around in less than a year? I am skeptical.

I won't ever blame anyone for being skeptical. Good reason to be. But not so much as to where someone should be cast out and never allowed to return or recover.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

The more I read....the more I'm wondering why they went this route? I like the move but man......I Was sort of hoping we got these type of guys out of our locker room but who am I to say he hasn't changed? Hope he has for his sake. If he had a alcohol problem a year and some change ago.....he's still battling that demon. Hopefully he's battling better than he did then.

 

[Doomsday101]

at this point all I can hope for is he stays out of trouble and contributes to the defensive. If it were my call to make I would not have signed him but it is what it is and so as a fan of this team all I can do is hope he can contribute to making this defense championship caliber

 

[superonyx]

I think you make some interesting points, but you are playing fast and loose with the relationship between accountability and revenge. I like the concepts of forgiveness, mercy, grace and rehabilitation—-but those are applied at the discretion of judges/victims....not a violator who just shrugs and says, “I’m sorry.”

The core issue at hand is the life balance of predictability. -
- If I work hard, I should have enough to get by.
- If I’m a just / law abiding person, I should have protection under the law.
- if I am reckless and dangerous and imperil others’ safety......there should be a price that serves two purposes.
1- separation from the people I’ve hurt
2- some measure of balance (punishments/ vengeance ) that shows the victims and society at large that the balance above is respected.

Otherwise- why ever follow rules of society or participate in modern society if there are no protections?

I’m not saying one strike and you’re out (depending on your crime of course) but in this case, he made decisions over time that disrespected the balance that society provides and people in his life.

Interesting take.
I will counter that we should not allow the victims to be involved in determining the punishments. Victims are emotional over logical and want vengeance even if its at the cost of the greater good.
The need for accountability should not be seen as something that flies in the face of punishment. You are correct that to have a balanced lawful civilization we needs to have rules and punishments/rehabilitation. The problem we have in our country is punishment is almost the only thing we have. Why? Money. We can lock someone up for 20 years for armed robbery and for 20 years a for profit prison company will receive tax payers dollars to "hold" a human in a cage. Then this person gets out and due to their background cannot find work, has never been rehabilitated and ends up back in prison. If we were a compassionate society we would look at the conditions that existed in the persons life that caused them to rob the convenience store in the first place. We would provide a healthy balances form of punishment that focused on rehabilitation so this person has been given the best chance at a happy productive life.

Of course you will find the exception. The true bad person that can't be helped. But managing to the exception has never been successful.

As for Smith. He is an alcoholic. He has made mistakes. I hope he has received the help he needs to allow the next chapter of his life to be more successful than the last one.

 

[kskboys]

The more I read....the more I'm wondering why they went this route? I like the move but man......I Was sort of hoping we got these type of guys out of our locker room but who am I to say he hasn't changed? Hope he has for his sake. If he had a alcohol problem a year and some change ago.....he's still battling that demon. Hopefully he's battling better than he did then.

Because premier pass rushers cost a fortune, so if he works out, we get one on the cheap.

 

[The Quest for Six]

and lets say the guy gets 13 sacks... NOBODY will care about the optics... nobody

slim chance of that happening for a guy who will be 31 and was out of football for five years...if he's actaualy reinstated by the league or arrested again!

 

[RodeoJake]

First of all, I’m all for everyone in society getting second chances. People suffering from drug and alcohol addictions who make serious attempts to get sober deserve our support. But people with domestic violence problems are different, especially when it comes to putting them on a national stage like the NFL. Domestic Violence perpetrators need help, but they don’t need a roster spot.

Yahoo Sports ran an article last night on Aldon Smith’s incredibly long rap sheet. Below is an excerpt from that article:

Aldon Smith’s mountain of legal issues
Here’s a rundown of the long list of off-field issues Smith has encountered since entering the NFL:

• arrested in Jan. 2012 for driving under the influence
• stabbed in a house party in June 2012, was later charged for illegal possession of an assault weapon from the incident
• arrested in Sept. 2013 for DUI and marijuana possession after a single-vehicle accident, later left the Niners during the season to enter rehab
• arrested in April 2014 for a fake bomb threat at Los Angeles International Airport, later suspended nine games by the NFL
• arrested in Aug. 2015 for DUI and hit-and-run, was released by Niners a day later, then given year-long NFL suspension
• arrested in March 2017 as the passenger in a DUI after a collision with a police car
• sentenced to rehab in Sept. 2017 for the 2015 DUI
• arrested in March 2018 on charges of misdemeanor charges of domestic violence, assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, false imprisonment and vandalism after his fiancee called 911 and said he threw her around the room, bit her wrists and drank two bottles of tequila before fleeing from police (he later blew a .40 BAC)
• released by the Raiders two days after domestic violence arrest
• arrested in March 2018 for violating a court order to stay away from his accuser
• arrested in April 2018 for violating his bail
• pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and violating a court order in domestic violence case in Nov. 2018
• arrested in June 2019 for DUI

This list makes Greg Hardy look like a choir boy.
As I said in the beginning of this post- second chances are good. But for domestic violence? I want the Cowboys to win as bad as anyone. But not without at least some level of respectability.

Here’s the link to the article I quoted:
https://sports.yahoo.com/aldon-smith-cowboys-sign-domestic-violence-arrests-nfl-012158571.html

Thanks for the research. I feel the same about domestic violence, but his last DV incident was 2 years ago. I'm more concerned about the fact it hasn't even been a year since his last DUI.

He's not guaranteed anything. If he has turned it around, give him the chance. His story could be an inspiration for others with addiction issues.

 

[The Quest for Six]

Let’s also be fair. I don’t think Hardy has ever apologized for any of his behavior.

I would be curious to hear from Aldon and where he is mentally now. If he is contrite and apologetic for his past behavior. That is an important factor. Because that would be a big difference from Hardy too.

And if I had a dollar for every time Randy Gregory apologized....

 

[Reid1boys]

slim chance of that happening for a guy who will be 31 and was out of football for five years...if he's actaualy reinstated by the league or arrested again!

i didnt say he was going to get all those sacks, I just said Cowboys fans wont care one bit about his rap sheet if he were to kick butt on the field.

 

[kskboys]

Interesting take.
I will counter that we should not allow the victims to be involved in determining the punishments. Victims are emotional over logical and want vengeance even if its at the cost of the greater good.
The need for accountability should not be seen as something that flies in the face of punishment. You are correct that to have a balanced lawful civilization we needs to have rules and punishments/rehabilitation. The problem we have in our country is punishment is almost the only thing we have. Why? Money. We can lock someone up for 20 years for armed robbery and for 20 years a for profit prison company will receive tax payers dollars to "hold" a human in a cage. Then this person gets out and due to their background cannot find work, has never been rehabilitated and ends up back in prison. If we were a compassionate society we would look at the conditions that existed in the persons life that caused them to rob the convenience store in the first place. We would provide a healthy balances form of punishment that focused on rehabilitation so this person has been given the best chance at a happy productive life.

Of course you will find the exception. The true bad person that can't be helped. But managing to the exception has never been successful.

As for Smith. He is an alcoholic. He has made mistakes. I hope he has received the help he needs to allow the next chapter of his life to be more successful than the last one.

Problem is, in any society you must have a deterrent to crime. Rehab isn't deterring. So far, the only deterrent that has worked in human history is strict, immediate punishment.

And the bigger problem we are facing at present is a generation coming up that appears to be completely lacking in empathy, which will make the current problem worse.

 

[Doomsday101]

And if I had a dollar for every time Randy Gregory apologized....

True actions speak louder than words. Now that this is pretty much a done deal all I can do is hope Aldon does the right things and helps this defense. Same with Gregory, while I would have released him a while back had it been my call to make, as a fan all I can do is hope he can come in and help this team.

 

[Skillit]

Interesting take.
I will counter that we should not allow the victims to be involved in determining the punishments. Victims are emotional over logical and want vengeance even if its at the cost of the greater good.
The need for accountability should not be seen as something that flies in the face of punishment. You are correct that to have a balanced lawful civilization we needs to have rules and punishments/rehabilitation. The problem we have in our country is punishment is almost the only thing we have. Why? Money. We can lock someone up for 20 years for armed robbery and for 20 years a for profit prison company will receive tax payers dollars to "hold" a human in a cage. Then this person gets out and due to their background cannot find work, has never been rehabilitated and ends up back in prison. If we were a compassionate society we would look at the conditions that existed in the persons life that caused them to rob the convenience store in the first place. We would provide a healthy balances form of punishment that focused on rehabilitation so this person has been given the best chance at a happy productive life.

Of course you will find the exception. The true bad person that can't be helped. But managing to the exception has never been successful.

As for Smith. He is an alcoholic. He has made mistakes. I hope he has received the help he needs to allow the next chapter of his life to be more successful than the last one.

Totally agree that victims shouldn’t have a voice in punishment. They have a role in the process—but yes, they get no say there.

You bring up the core issue: who is salvageable? How do you know? I get it that we spend too much on incarceration....but there is also costs to failed rehab.

I don’t claim to have any answers there. If we knew “who was worth it”, well, I’d be pretty special. Lol

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Because premier pass rushers cost a fortune, so if he works out, we get one on the cheap.

Yeah but when is the price too much? We've been down this path with Hardy, McClain, Tank Johnson, Pac-Man...it rarely results in being worth it.

 

[kskboys]

Yeah but when is the price too much? We've been down this path with Hardy, McClain, Tank Johnson, Pac-Man...it rarely results in being worth it.

4 mill is cheap if he works out.

I wouldn't have signed him.

 

[kskboys]

Totally agree that victims shouldn’t have a voice in punishment. They have a role in the process—but yes, they get no say there.

You bring up the core issue: who is salvageable? How do you know? I get it that we spend too much on incarceration....but there is also costs to failed rehab.

I don’t claim to have any answers there. If we knew “who was worth it”, well, I’d be pretty special. Lol

You cannot save everyone. We're trying to do that at present, and failing miserably.

We've forgotten the entire idea of punishment for crimes: Deterrent.

 

[gambit187]

Greg Hardy beat the stuff out of that girl, was arrested for felony drug possession (cocaine), and had an arsenal of illegal weapons. Smith struggled to stay sober.

Hardy is legit a bad person. Smith struggled with alcoholism. So, no, he doesn't make Hardy look like anything.

Has Hardy been in trouble since then, also that chick was a known coke head. Also I thought Hardy weapons was legal, I read he grew up in that environment because his parents or one of his parents was a bounty hunter/detective. I already that he was an avid hunter and described as a "redneck". None of that make him a bad person and his ONE run in with the law doesn't either. No one can convince me other wise unless you can dig up some more......

 

[montgod]

i didnt say he was going to get all those sacks, I just said Cowboys fans wont care one bit about his rap sheet if he were to kick butt on the field.

i.e. Tyreek and KC fans

 

[OmerV]

If the Cowboys think that this signing, as well as a potential return of Randy Gregory, crosses DE off the list of positions to be upgraded, then they haven't learned a thing.

If it's a no risk signing to see if you catch lightning in a bottle, but buttress it with investment in a guy like K'Lavin Chaisson or an edge guy like Zack Baun, then I kind of get it.

Smith is a train wreck as a human being. His issues do seem to be substance abuse/alcohol based, but domestic violence for me is an in-the-box offense. I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole, but it's too late at this point.

I doubt the Cowboys believe this gets them an ideal solution at the positon, but they have to be realistic that they aren't going to have an ideal situation at every position. This move at least gives them a shot, albeit a long one, of getting high production from the position. Frankly I didn't expect them to do much more at RDE given all the commitments they've made at the other D-Line spots. And, the thing is, if the right person dropped to them in the draft, this contract wouldn't prohibit making that pick.