Aldon Smith makes Greg Hardy look like a choir boy

[ESisback]

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

I agree. Second chances are good, but 3rd or 4th or 5th? I’ve heard he’s really turned his life around, but can a zebra REALLY change his stripes? IMO, this shows how desperate Jerry is getting about winning one more Lombardi before departing for the FO upstairs.

Aldon Smith is a talent that COULD help, but is it worth tarnishing the brand further, inviting more distraction, and ratcheting up the Cowboy hate and hyperbole?

 

[Ranching]

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

We have enough choirboys!!! Haley brought toughness and a bad man attitude! Give him a chance!!!!

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

A .40 WOW!

 

[big dog cowboy]

But the connection with Tomsula (and by extension McCarthy) is also undeniable.

It is very meaningful. It means more than anyone else. Tomsula is at the top of the list.

 

[Stash]

It is very meaningful. It means more than anyone else. Tomsula is at the top of the list.

 

[freemanjc19]

Instead of worrying about what you cannot control "A. Smith Signing", why don't we shift our energy to what we can control" with this team (NOTHING) . Not my money, not my concern. JUST WIN!

 

[The Natural]

Man who cares.

 

[superonyx]

I will respectfully disagree and say that Scandinavia (I used to be a student in a city called Umeå in Sweden) is a poor comparison to most anything American.

They are a basically homogeneous, 99.9% educated and relatively small societies with none of the divisive history, cultural barriers and sheer magnitude of population, economic burden or strategic importance that pushes mass societies like ours into some tight places.

Do we have things to learn from them, sure—— is their method the secret for diminishing American inequality and strife? My opinion is no.

I don’t claim to have “the answer” but any solution that lasts in this society would have to come from this society.

The homogeneous argument is something I want to stay away from. It gets littered with ugliness.

You don't even have to look to Scandinavia. Look to hundred of other nations that are currently doing better at rehabilitation than we are. Pointing out extremes just allows the elitist within us to close our eyes and pretend no one could have a better system... then we stay the course with a punishment based system and keep getting increasingly worse results.
Since 1980 our prison population has increased from approx 300k to over 3m. (not exact numbers). Yet who feels safer today than before? We are creating generations of young men growing up in disadvantaged situations with little direction and more importantly even less hope. The punishment prison system is genius is you are in the money game it generates. You keep getting richer while entire communities, families, and parts of the nation are gutted of hope.

 

[Mountaineerfan]

Whether or not he should be reinstated isn't the point.

The point is that he's no worse than Greg Hardy.

I haven't read this whole thread but it's not about if he is "Worse" than Greg Hardy. It's about can he be "better" than Greg Hardy on the field. We all know that if Hardy has put up better numbers and been better in the locker room he would have been in the NFL for years.

 

[Skillit]

The homogeneous argument is something I want to stay away from. It gets littered with ugliness.

You don't even have to look to Scandinavia. Look to hundred of other nations that are currently doing better at rehabilitation than we are. Pointing out extremes just allows the elitist within us to close our eyes and pretend no one could have a better system... then we stay the course with a punishment based system and keep getting increasingly worse results.
Since 1980 our prison population has increased from approx 300k to over 3m. (not exact numbers). Yet who feels safer today than before? We are creating generations of young men growing up in disadvantaged situations with little direction and more importantly even less hope. The punishment prison system is genius is you are in the money game it generates. You keep getting richer while entire communities, families, and parts of the nation are gutted of hope.

I see what you mean about homogeneous.....you’re right- that word can go off the rails. But I meant the word as it is defined (not a veiled way to say look at all the smart white people.). Homogeneous societies over the globe enjoy lower rates of violence than the US, UK, France, Brazil, South Africa, Russia.

Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Zaire/ +many sub Saharan African countries, Japan, China, etc....are all homogeneous (by %ages) and have nowhere near the violent crime the other counties listed have. It’s not about race. It’s culture, history and identity. But your point is well taken.

I completely agree with everything else you said.

 

[eromeopolk]

The Cowboys have not had a roster full of all Choirboys. You do not need all Choirboys to win. But at least you need players that will go to somebody's church on Sunday and sit on the back pews with dark sunglasses on until the hangover is over (You know who I am talking about...).

 

[InTheZone]

dude is cancer, all the people that bashed hardy and dez out of the league should probably be rioting at this point over Smith. I don't care what Smith brings to the table, he's is not a good human being and has had more than enough chances to turn it around.

 

[Future]

I haven't read this whole thread but it's not about if he is "Worse" than Greg Hardy. It's about can he be "better" than Greg Hardy on the field. We all know that if Hardy has put up better numbers and been better in the locker room he would have been in the NFL for years.

lol I mean the thread is literally about whether he is "worse" or not.

Agree in general about performance on the field.

 

[MetalMike]

It just can't be possible that there are that short of a supply of DE's available to have to sign this guy.

 

[jwooten15]

Don’t care in the slightest...

Please lord, let him, DLAW, and Randy BLOW IT UP!!!

Agreed. Give me all the bad boys, as long as they help us win. Football is for entertainment, not for character evaluation

 

[Gameover]

And y’all blame Dak Prescott for this team’s failings.. lol

Dak Prescott is the best QB in the league, too bad he can’t escape from the hellhole that is the Dallas Cowboys

Don’t sign long term with the Cowboys, Dak ... the Steelers will need a QB in 2021! The Steelers are a QB a way! For your sake I hope you are able to be the face of a real organization at some point in your career. Don’t sign away your prime to this hellhole

 

[JoeyBoy718]

Interesting move. They paid him enough to show that he'll be part of the regular rotation. He's not that young anymore, hasn't played in years, and has character and dependency issues that make him unreliable.

He's far less reliable than Randy Gregory if you do a side-by-side comparison:

Age: Gregory - 27, Smith - 30
Last played: Gregory - 2018, Smith - 2015
Last played more than 12 games: Gregory - 2018, Smith - 2012
Issues/concerns: Gregory - marijuana, Smith - alcohol abuse, domestic violence, terrorist threats

 

[DallasDW00ds0n]

If it works out and he plays well, people won’t care.

 

[Jeffkills]

If this is what he was caught doing - just imagine what the guy got away with doing

Im all for given people chances but his last arrest wasnt even a year ago. How can anyone say after that rap sheet he turned his life around? Maybe going 2 years of not getting in trouble we can say he turned things around.

And lets be straight this isnt given anyone a 2nd chance. This is Dallas trying to see if they can strike gold.

Who cares if he gets in trouble?

It's not like we'd lose a draft pick...

 

[CapnCook]

I do not want him as a Cowboy! one more screw up by Aldon and Zeke is suspended for the year.

Perusing and logged in just so I could like this post.