Aldon Smith Sentenced to Serve as Part of Work Crew for DUI, Weapons Charges

Updates from Friday, August 8

NFL.com has the latest on Smith's potential suspension:

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Smith faces a potential league suspension after multiple off-field infractions. The Niners believe they will be without Smith for six games or fewer, a team source told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. The team is still hoping for four.

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Updates from Thursday, Aug. 7

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com has more on Smith's potential suspension:

Aldon Smith has met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding his off-field issues, according to Cam Inman of the Mercury News:

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Smith is expected to receive some form of discipline, possibly a multiple-game suspension, but no word on such penalties have been announced by the league.

Ted Robinson, the 49ers’ play-by-play broadcaster, said during Thursday night’s KNBR broadcast that Smith met earlier in the day with Goodell. The 49ers arrived in Baltimore on Tuesday night in advance of their exhibition opener against the Ravens.

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Original Text 

Aldon Smith was handed a 12-day jail sentence by a judge on Friday afternoon. The ruling stems from charges of weapons possession and driving under the influence, per Damian Trujillo of NBC Bay Area:

Back in May, the San Francisco 49ers' linebacker pleaded no contest to three felony weapons charges and two misdemeanor counts of DUI.

Tracey Kaplan, a legal expert for the San Jose Mercury News, reported that the judge reduced the weapons charges down from a felony to a misdemeanor:

Kaplan also provided a few of the finer details regarding Smith's sentencing:

San Francisco general manager Trent Baalke released a statement (via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com):

As Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News pointed out, the news couldn't have been much better for either Smith or the 49ers:

Having work release on Mondays allows the 24-year-old to be available for all of San Francisco's Sunday games. And on the occasion of the Niners' first appearance on Monday Night Football—Oct. 13 against the St. Louis Rams—Smith's work release will have ended, per Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports:

In his first two years in the league, Smith established himself as an elite pass-rusher, racking up a combined 33.5 sacks between 2011 and 2012. He finished one sack behind J.J. Watt's 20.5 for the league lead in '12.

His fortunes took a sharp turn in 2013.

He was indefinitely removed from team activities in September after his arrest for suspicion of DUI. Smith played in 11 games last year—making eight starts—but his production was nowhere near that of his previous two seasons. He compiled 8.5 sacks during the regular season.

With the sentencing out of the way, Smith can now shift his focus toward rebounding in 2014. He could still be suspended by the league, but having avoided any serious charges, the length of any suspension wouldn't likely cut into the majority of this year's campaign.