Hopefully Jimmy Smith Gets the Help He Needs

In what has been a long fall from grace since his playing days ended, Jimmy Smith will endure another painful chapter of his life today.

Smith, who was arrested on Apr. 23 on charges of possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with a suspended license, is scheduled to be arraigned today.

As everyone knows by now, Smith was driving down I-95 when he was pulled over by a state trooper for an excessive window tint.

When the trooper looked inside Smith's Mercedes, he found crack cocaine, marijuana, and a card with powder residue.

It's no secret that Smith has struggled with substance abuse for quite some time. He likely would have had a longer NFL career, but elected to retire amidst rumors that he had failed a drug test. That test would have forced Smith to sit out for a year.

In 2008, Smith was charged with DUI after an officer pulled him over while he was driving in Jacksonville. He reportedly handed a beer bottle to the officer and admitted to smoking pot while driving.

He was also suspended in 2003 for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. That previous failed test is why he would have had to sit out for an entire year if he failed a drug test in 2006.

Anyone who has known somebody with a substance abuse problem knows that this is no laughing matter. Anyone who has struggled with addiction knows that it's much harder to "clean up your act" than most people understand.

Addiction specialists and addicts say that when a person is mired in the depths of addiction, he or she must hit rock bottom before they can begin recovery.

I hope and pray that this is Smith's bottom, and that things don't get any worse. From what I've heard about the man, he is a caring, compassionate person who doesn't have a mean bone in his body.

Hopefully he has a strong support system in place, and those people can help carry him through these dark days.