Raiders release LB Smith after latest incident
Calif. police obtain warrant for veteran’s arrest following domestic violence allegation
The Oakland Raiders released pass rusher Aldon Smith on Monday after his latest run-in with the law.
The Raiders retained Smith’s contractual rights even as he spent the past two seasons on the NFL’s suspended list. But the team decided finally to cut ties one day after San Francisco police said authorities were searching for Smith in connection with a domestic violence allegation.
San Francisco police said Monday that an arrest warrant has been obtained for Smith stemming from allegations that Smith assaulted a woman Saturday night. Smith left before police arrived to respond to the 911 call and authorities are working with Smith’s attorney to arrange a time for him to surrender.
Smith is facing misdemeanor charges of willful infliction of corporal injury, assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, false imprisonment and vandalism, according to Sgt. Michael Andraychak.
Smith has been on the suspended list since November 2015 for violating the NFL’s policy on substance abuse. The Raiders had signed Smith to a two-year contract before the 2016 season, but he never was cleared by the league to be able to return from suspension.
Smith was one of the league’s top pass rushers before off-field problems derailed his career. He set an NFL record with 331⁄ Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith, a former All-Pro, has been on the suspended list since November 2015 for violating the NFL’s policy on substance abuse. sacks his first two seasons after being drafted in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2011.
He helped the Niners make it to the NFC title game as a rookie and the Super Bowl the following year. But the off-field problems started mounting the following season when he missed five games to undergo treatment at an inpatient facility after a DUI arrest.
Smith was then suspended the first nine games in 2014 while serving an NFL suspension for violations of the league’s substance abuse and personal conduct policies. San Francisco then released him in August 2015 after his fifth run-in with the law regarding another drunken driving arrest.
He signed with Oakland just before the start of the 2015 season and had 31⁄ sacks in nine games before being suspended again for at least one year.
Smith applied for reinstatement to the NFL in 2016, but that decision was initially deferred until the offseason and he never was granted reinstatement.
Smith has played 59 games over five seasons in the NFL with 471⁄ sacks and one first-team All-Pro honor in 2012. Cowboys put franchise tag on DE Lawrence: A person with knowledge of the decision says Dallas has placed the franchise tag on DeMarcus Lawrence, guaranteeing the Pro Bowl defensive end $17.5 million in 2018.
The Cowboys had until today to put the tag on Lawrence, who can still sign a long-term deal with the club that traded up him to get him early in the second round in 2014. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the decision hasn’t been announced.
Lawrence tied the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Calais Campbell for second in the NFL with 141⁄ sacks last season. The 25-yearold’s breakout year came after he struggled with injuries most of his first three seasons.
On the one-year contract, Lawrence’s salary would be the average of the NFL’s five highest-paid defensive ends. CB Cromartie retires: Veteran cornerback Antonio Cromartie announced his retire- ment from the NFL.
The 11-year pro with four franchises posted a message on Instagram saying “after 27 years of playing football, today I say farewell.”
An All-Pro with the San Diego Chargers in 2007, when he led the league with 10 interceptions, Cromartie was one of the NFL’s best cover cornerbacks for much of his career, making four Pro Bowls. He also scored the longest touchdown in league history, returning a missed field goal by the Minnesota Vikings for a 109-yard score in 2007.
Cromartie, 33, spent his first four seasons with the Chargers, making the playoffs each year. He then joined the New York Jets and made the AFC championship game with them in 2010, his first of four straight seasons as a starter in Rex Ryan’s defense.
Hespent 2014 with the Arizona Cardinals, returned to the Jets in 2015, and finished his career in 2016 with the Indianapolis Colts.
Cromartie’s ball skills, size (6 feet 2, 210 pounds) and speed made him a desirable commodity even though he was an inconsistent tackler and often gambled in coverage. The Chargers selected him 19th overall in the 2006 draft.
“To The San Diego Chargers and the Spanos Family, thank you for believing in me,” Cromartie wrote. “Thank you for taking a chance on a young kid from Tallahassee, Fla., who did not play much in college. You believed in my ability and my potential to play at a professional level, and I will forever be grateful.”
With the Jets in 2010, he combined with Darrelle Revis to form one of football’s best cornerback tandems.