Aldon Smith is now a member of the Dallas Cowboys and awaiting a decision from the NFL about his reinstatement. He reportedly has been sober for nine months while living in a sober living house in Los Angeles, but he remains suspended by the NFL indefinitely.
During an interview with Jay Glazer, with whom Smith has been training in Los Angeles, Smith shared when he hit rock bottom.
“I would say 2018 was a tough year,” Smith told Jay Glazer, as transcribed by the Dallas Morning News. “In that year, I was in a really dark place, and I didn’t have a lot of value for how I thought about myself. When I was in a bad spot, it got bad. Pretty bad. I was sleeping under a car for some nights because my sickness took me there. And I had a home to sleep in. But I was in such a dark place that I didn’t see myself deserving anything other than that.”
That’s pretty bad. Smith has been arrested numerous times for DUI, including in 2019. He has also been arrested for hit-and-run. In 2018, his blood alcohol content was five times the legal limit during an arrest. It was that same year that his friends were concerned for Smith’s life.
Whether Smith is able to remain sober is a big question, but the Cowboys are betting he will. At his peak, Smith had 19.5 sacks in 2012 for the 49ers. The 30-year-old was the No. 7 overall pick in 2011 but has not played in the NFL since the 2015 season.
