Report: Aldon Smith “not close” to being reinstated

The latest update regarding the potential reinstatement of suspended Oakland Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith.

Last week, suspended linebacker Aldon Smith took to social media to claim that he would soon be reinstated, and that he would be playing for the Oakland Raiders in the upcoming season. ESPN’s John Clayton subsequently supported Aldon’s claim in an interview on 95.7 The Game with the voice of the Raiders, Greg Papa. As a result, speculation of his pending reinstatement gained quite a bit of steam.

However, this week has been a different story.

According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report:

"“Sources close to Aldon Smith said the former Raiders and 49ers linebacker is nowhere close to reinstatement to the NFL.”"

Which shouldn’t be surprising, despite Aldon’s personal claims. The prospect of Smith’s reinstatement has taken a big hit in recent months due to two more runs ins with the law.

In February, Smith was under investigation for a domestic incident in San Francisco. Police questioned both him and the alleged victim, but to this point no charges have been filed. So considering his track record, even an incident in which he doesn’t get charged is a bad look.

And then in March, Smith was detained by police in San Francisco after an SUV he was riding in crashed into a parked police car. Although he was not the driver of the vehicle, it’s not a good look for someone trying to prove that they have taken the proper steps to rehabilitate their life.

Cole also noted:

"“Those sources claim Smith has made no consistent effort to follow the program the league has laid out.”"

Prior to the domestic incident in February, NFL network’s Ian Rapport reported, “barring a slip up” Aldon Smith would be reinstated in March.

At this point, it’s hard to imagine Roger Goodell allowing Smith to return to the league anytime prior to the start of training camp, given his recent setbacks. Josh Gordon was also recently denied reinstatement, which doesn’t help Aldon’s case.

More from Just Blog Baby

• Raiders news: Free agent TE Foster Moreau diagnosed with cancer
• Order your Jimmy Garoppolo Las Vegas Raiders gear now
• Las Vegas Raiders: 2023 NFL Draft will make-or-break David Ziegler Era
• Raiders news: Jimmy Garoppolo offered a different kind of deal
• Raiders 2023 NFL Draft: Trading down for an elite DT on Day 1

Although still under contract for one more year, Reggie McKenzie made it clear that the team is moving on without Aldon Smith in their plans. He admitted to as much in an offseason press conference.

In his brief nine game season with the Raiders in 2015, Smith recorded 3.5 sacks and 28 tackles. Smith has not played an NFL snap since November 15^th, 2015.