Aldon Smith pleads no contest to 3 felonies...

[RiverDog]

River and HC;

Who Dat was on tape stating intent to go after player's ACL's, to go after player's head's. And whether other teams had done the same or not, it obviously called out the integrity of the sport. That is not comparable to what occured here.

Nowhere has any intent been shown on Aldon's part to hurt anyone. Hard to believe you are using Marshawn Lynch as a comparable when the guy has had some of the exact same issues. Lol where's the outrage? Where "was" the outrage? I never read or heard any in Seattle. He's ok, because he just had a gun in his backpack?? At least Aldon's was at his own home. If we are nitpicking, what do you think Lynch's intent is for actually carrying a weapon around with him? I worked in Oakland for 2.5 yrs and have seen plenty of Marshawn Lynch's (and that is not a direct reference to his race). He is from an area far worse than Aldon and carrying a weapon probably felt normal to him. Yet I am not here railing against him with false concerns about public safety. Lynch is obviously not a "thug" and despite his missteps, has not endangered anyone since. You have to punish the crime and not the potential crime that you are projecting into the future.

I do not know what Goodell will do. I am not going to complain either way, because I don't have a good knowledge of the NFL's rules or Goodell's rulings in the past. But if you say Lynch got 3 games, 8 games seems more than fair for Aldon. That on top of the 5 games he sat out last yr is closing in on a full season of missed games for his own transgressions. There is only so much you can put on a player for doing things that in the end, only hurt himself.

Here's a cut and paste of the NFL's personal conduct policy. Read it and tell me where it says anything about a player's intent to hurt anyone. For your convenience, I have underlined the specific parts of the policy that Smith is guilty of since it seems as if you are unaware that his actions are in direct violation of the policy:

Criminal offenses including, but not limited to, those involving: the use or threat of violence; domestic violence and other forms of partner abuse; theft and other property crimes; sex offenses; obstruction or resisting arrest; disorderly conduct; fraud; racketeering; and money laundering;
• Criminal offenses relating to steroids and prohibited substances, or substances of abuse;
• Violent or threatening behavior among employees, whether in or outside the workplace;
• Possession of a gun or other weapon in any workplace setting, including but not limited to stadiums, team facilities, training camp, locker rooms, team planes, buses, parking lots, etc., or unlawful possession of a weapon outside of the workplace;
• Conduct that imposes inherent danger to the safety and well being of another person; and
• Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players.

http://nfllabor.files.wordpress.com/201 ... policy.pdf

[Futureite]

River and HC;

Who Dat was on tape stating intent to go after player's ACL's, to go after player's head's. And whether other teams had done the same or not, it obviously called out the integrity of the sport. That is not comparable to what occured here.

Nowhere has any intent been shown on Aldon's part to hurt anyone. Hard to believe you are using Marshawn Lynch as a comparable when the guy has had some of the exact same issues. Lol where's the outrage? Where "was" the outrage? I never read or heard any in Seattle. He's ok, because he just had a gun in his backpack?? At least Aldon's was at his own home. If we are nitpicking, what do you think Lynch's intent is for actually carrying a weapon around with him? I worked in Oakland for 2.5 yrs and have seen plenty of Marshawn Lynch's (and that is not a direct reference to his race). He is from an area far worse than Aldon and carrying a weapon probably felt normal to him. Yet I am not here railing against him with false concerns about public safety. Lynch is obviously not a "thug" and despite his missteps, has not endangered anyone since. You have to punish the crime and not the potential crime that you are projecting into the future.

I do not know what Goodell will do. I am not going to complain either way, because I don't have a good knowledge of the NFL's rules or Goodell's rulings in the past. But if you say Lynch got 3 games, 8 games seems more than fair for Aldon. That on top of the 5 games he sat out last yr is closing in on a full season of missed games for his own transgressions. There is only so much you can put on a player for doing things that in the end, only hurt himself.

Here's a cut and paste of the NFL's personal conduct policy. Read it and tell me where it says anything about a player's intent to hurt anyone. For your convenience, I have underlined the specific parts of the policy that Smith is guilty of since it seems as if you are unaware that his actions are in direct violation of the policy:

Criminal offenses including, but not limited to, those involving: the use or threat of violence; domestic violence and other forms of partner abuse; theft and other property crimes; sex offenses; obstruction or resisting arrest; disorderly conduct; fraud; racketeering; and money laundering;
• Criminal offenses relating to steroids and prohibited substances, or substances of abuse;
• Violent or threatening behavior among employees, whether in or outside the workplace;
• Possession of a gun or other weapon in any workplace setting, including but not limited to stadiums, team facilities, training camp, locker rooms, team planes, buses, parking lots, etc., or unlawful possession of a weapon outside of the workplace;
• Conduct that imposes inherent danger to the safety and well being of another person; and
• Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players.

http://nfllabor.files.wordpress.com/201 ... policy.pdf

That is the conduct policy. It does not define the suspension term for each violation. Similar to citing the criminal code as opposed to the penal code. I do not debate that Aldon violated the NFL's player personnel policy. If Lynch did in fact serve a 3 game suspension for his gun possession conviction, then why are asking more for Aldon? Again, I don't know the NFL's specific policies or the manner in which they've been applied in the past. I imagine it's written to give Goodell a lot of leeway based upon the facts and circumstances in each case.

[HumanCockroach]

Because Lynch had ONE weapon ( and it was a hand gun), it wasn't fired, much less fired over a crowd, it wasn't his weapon, it was in a back pack Sitting in the trunk, pretty different circumstantrunk also didn't wrap his car drunk and stoned around a tree in some families front yard. Comparing the two is silly. Period.

[RiverDog]

[If Lynch did in fact serve a 3 game suspension for his gun possession conviction, then why are asking more for Aldon?

Tell you what: Let's take Lynch's 3 game suspension for the singular crime he committed, times it by the number of crimes that Smith was convicted of (6), and we'll call it even.

Deal?

[HumanCockroach]

River and HC;

Who Dat was on tape stating intent to go after player's ACL's, to go after player's head's. And whether other teams had done the same or not, it obviously called out the integrity of the sport. That is not comparable to what occured here.

Nowhere has any intent been shown on Aldon's part to hurt anyone. Hard to believe you are using Marshawn Lynch as a comparable when the guy has had some of the exact same issues. Lol where's the outrage? Where "was" the outrage? I never read or heard any in Seattle. He's ok, because he just had a gun in his backpack?? At least Aldon's was at his own home. If we are nitpicking, what do you think Lynch's intent is for actually carrying a weapon around with him? I worked in Oakland for 2.5 yrs and have seen plenty of Marshawn Lynch's (and that is not a direct reference to his race). He is from an area far worse than Aldon and carrying a weapon probably felt normal to him. Yet I am not here railing against him with false concerns about public safety. Lynch is obviously not a "thug" and despite his missteps, has not endangered anyone since. You have to punish the crime and not the potential crime that you are projecting into the future.

I do not know what Goodell will do. I am not going to complain either way, because I don't have a good knowledge of the NFL's rules or Goodell's rulings in the past. But if you say Lynch got 3 games, 8 games seems more than fair for Aldon. That on top of the 5 games he sat out last yr is closing in on a full season of missed games for his own transgressions. There is only so much you can put on a player for doing things that in the end, only hurt himself.

First of all Payton wasn't on tape saying to do anything, nor was the owner or GM so not sure where you got the idea they had or did ( that was the DC) secondly Lynch HASN'T had the same kind of issues Smith has had ( and the suspension and "crime" was committed while in Buffalo YEARS before he was in Seattle. Lynch had the dismissed DUI charge in Seattle, and while I wasn't aggressively on Lynch's case about it, I certainly wasn't ho hum about it as is your stance regarding Smith. RD was pissed and vocal about it ( as MANY posters were) so spare us the glass house analogy.

just because YOU can't see the difference between having a buddies ( yeah the gun wasn't Lynch's big guy) gun in a back pack in trunk of his car ( I suppose Lynch should have known to do a security check on the dudes bags LMAO) and a discharged driving erratic situation and possession of three assault guns, that are fired at a party and a dangerous DUI/POSSESSION OF ILLEGAL NARCOTICS accident in someone's front yard, doesn't mean that most reasonable people can't.

It has to do with varying "levels", being someone that claims to know law, I'm personally shocked you can't see them. If a person goes into a convenience store, puts his finger in his pocket and tries to rob them, does he get the same sentence and punishment as someone that goes into a store with a loaded automatic and fires the gun repeatedly over the owners head but isn't intending to kill him? I'm not a lawyer, but I feel reasonably safe in assuming not.

[Futureite]

River and HC;

Who Dat was on tape stating intent to go after player's ACL's, to go after player's head's. And whether other teams had done the same or not, it obviously called out the integrity of the sport. That is not comparable to what occured here.

Nowhere has any intent been shown on Aldon's part to hurt anyone. Hard to believe you are using Marshawn Lynch as a comparable when the guy has had some of the exact same issues. Lol where's the outrage? Where "was" the outrage? I never read or heard any in Seattle. He's ok, because he just had a gun in his backpack?? At least Aldon's was at his own home. If we are nitpicking, what do you think Lynch's intent is for actually carrying a weapon around with him? I worked in Oakland for 2.5 yrs and have seen plenty of Marshawn Lynch's (and that is not a direct reference to his race). He is from an area far worse than Aldon and carrying a weapon probably felt normal to him. Yet I am not here railing against him with false concerns about public safety. Lynch is obviously not a "thug" and despite his missteps, has not endangered anyone since. You have to punish the crime and not the potential crime that you are projecting into the future.

I do not know what Goodell will do. I am not going to complain either way, because I don't have a good knowledge of the NFL's rules or Goodell's rulings in the past. But if you say Lynch got 3 games, 8 games seems more than fair for Aldon. That on top of the 5 games he sat out last yr is closing in on a full season of missed games for his own transgressions. There is only so much you can put on a player for doing things that in the end, only hurt himself.

First of all Payton wasn't on tape saying to do anything, nor was the owner or GM so not sure where you got the idea they had or did ( that was the DC) secondly Lynch HASN'T had the same kind of issues Smith has had ( and the suspension and "crime" was committed while in Buffalo YEARS before he was in Seattle. Lynch had the dismissed DUI charge in Seattle, and while I wasn't aggressively on Lynch's case about it, I certainly wasn't ho hum about it as is your stance regarding Smith. RD was pissed and vocal about it ( as MANY posters were) so spare us the glass house analogy.

just because YOU can't see the difference between having a buddies ( yeah the gun wasn't Lynch's big guy) gun in a back pack in trunk of his car ( I suppose Lynch should have known to do a security check on the dudes bags LMAO) and a discharged driving erratic situation and possession of three assault guns, that are fired at a party and a dangerous DUI/POSSESSION OF ILLEGAL NARCOTICS accident in someone's front yard, doesn't mean that most reasonable people can't.

It has to do with varying "levels", being someone that claims to know law, I'm personally shocked you can't see them. If a person goes into a convenience store, puts his finger in his pocket and tries to rob them, does he get the same sentence and punishment as someone that goes into a store with a loaded automatic and fires the gun repeatedly over the owners head but isn't intending to kill him? I'm not a lawyer, but I feel reasonably safe in assuming not.

I only brought up my experience in law after being told so many times that I could not analyze or argue an issue. I am not going there ever again .

My response to this post is that you are arguing my position. Yes, as I have stated, facts and circumstances should weigh heavily in both the judge's and the commissioner's decision. I agree 100%. You claim to have intimate knowledge of facts of both cases. Are you certain Aldon shot "at" someone? Are you certain that Lynch did not possess knowledge that that semi-automatic weapon was not in his car? Have you read the court decisions? Are they public record?

This is nowhere near as clear or as simple to analyze as you are suggesting. These things take months upon months (as we just saw) to hash out, and there are not even any alegations that Aldon attempted to harm anyone.

You hold hour position and I'll hold mine. I am not claining I am any bwtter at analyzing this than you. My guess is 0-3 mo time and 8 game suspension.

[HumanCockroach]

I'm not going to argue "specifics" as there is no need to. In one case a buddies hand gun was in a back pack inside a trunk, in the other the gun was fired above a large group of people. Simply no reason to go any further than that in this circumstance. Lynch's DUI was dropped, he was arrested for "erratic driving" Smith was found in a wrecked automobile in someone's front yard with drugs scattered around the cab. NO SPECIFICS are needed to see the two circumstances aren't the same severity, are they? At least IMHO they aren't. I don't see a need to take it further than that in any way shape or form. That's enough. One person endangered lives ( whether intentionally or not) and the other didn't. Pretty straight forward to me, look for loop holes if you like, but that is indeed how I see it.

Ultimately, IMO Smith NEEDS help, professional and extensive, or IMO he will indeed end up being one those athletic that will the guy people shake their heads and talk about how he wasted his opportunities and talent. If the NFL and courts give him a little slap on the wrist, IMO Aldon will eventually kill, maim or harm someone to the point of destroying his career, and it would be exceptionally unfortunate, because he can prevent that,and the nfl should have that at the forfront of their decision in this case. Hell, I personally would be fine with NO suspension, as long as it came with MANDATORY help with addiction counseling, but IMHO if the league gives him a laughable 3 game suspension, it just reaffirms my feelings on how the league doles out punishment/ care for it's players ( IE lessen suspensions, fines, etc for MODEL franchises, and make examples of the Clevelands, Detroits etc of the NFL).

[Futureite]

I'm not going to argue "specifics" as there is no need to. In one case a buddies hand gun was in a back pack inside a trunk, in the other the gun was fired above a large group of people. Simply no reason to go any further than that in this circumstance. Lynch's DUI was dropped, he was arrested for "erratic driving" Smith was found in a wrecked automobile in someone's front yard with drugs scattered around the cab. NO SPECIFICS are needed to see the two circumstances aren't the same severity, are they? At least IMHO they aren't. I don't see a need to take it further than that in any way shape or form. That's enough. One person endangered lives ( whether intentionally or not) and the other didn't. Pretty straight forward to me, look for loop holes if you like, but that is indeed how I see it.

Ultimately, IMO Smith NEEDS help, professional and extensive, or IMO he will indeed end up being one those athletic that will the guy people shake their heads and talk about how he wasted his opportunities and talent. If the NFL and courts give him a little slap on the wrist, IMO Aldon will eventually kill, maim or harm someone to the point of destroying his career, and it would be exceptionally unfortunate, because he can prevent that,and the nfl should have that at the forfront of their decision in this case. Hell, I personally would be fine with NO suspension, as long as it came with MANDATORY help with addiction counseling, but IMHO if the league gives him a laughable 3 game suspension, it just reaffirms my feelings on how the league doles out punishment/ care for it's players ( IE lessen suspensions, fines, etc for MODEL franchises, and make examples of the Clevelands, Detroits etc of the NFL).

You are asserting facts and circumstances define each issue on one hand and asserting they (or, "specifics") do not on the other. From what little I know of each case, in no partucular order, Marshawn has hit someone and driven away, blew the legal limit for driving intoxicated immediately prior to a youth event, and driven with.a loaded semi-automatic pistol and mariijuana in the trunk of his car.

Aldon has blown the legal limit for being intoxicated while driving (and crashing) his car, and fired a semi-automatic weapon in the air at his personal residence.

Unless you have the facts which uniquely define each case, it is impossible to even begin to analyze them. We can look on the surface they are similar in obvious ways. That's as far as I'll go. They both seem like good people at their core to me. I like them both.

[HumanCockroach]

OK. Got it. Having a gun in a parked car in the trunk that isn't yours is the same as firing a gun over a crowd of people, and wrapping your car around a tree in ssomeone's front yard with drugs in the cab, is the same as driving erratically and blowing BELOW the legal limit ( something you must have missed) being taken in and failing a blood test. If you say so.

Doesn't change my opinion in the least that should Smith garner less punishment than Lynch, the league and legal system have failed to do there job.

[Futureite]

OK. Got it. Having a gun in a parked car in the trunk that isn't yours is the same as firing a gun over a crowd of people, and wrapping your car around a tree in ssomeone's front yard with drugs in the cab, is the same as driving erratically and blowing BELOW the legal limit ( something you must have missed) being taken in and failing a blood test. If you say so.

Doesn't change my opinion in the least that should Smith garner less punishment than Lynch, the league and legal system have failed to do there job.

We are kind of talking in circles. I suggested 8 games. I don't know what Lynch served, because I do not care about these things. You posted 3 games, and I believe you. So, I am actually suggesting nearly 3 times the suspension that Lynch served and that does not even count the 5 games Aldon voluntarily sat. You can villify Aldon all you want, but the truth is his behavior is not 'that' dissimilar to Lynch's - which makes your past comments about my disinterest in this kind of thing all the more ironic. If there is a difference between the two, even by your analysis, it does not match the level of outrage displayed by most people toward Aldon. For god sake Marshawn is revered in Seattle and has Skittles thrown his way at home games, but Aldon is a menace that needs to be locked away? It's completely hypocrotical and you know it HC.

Anyhow, it will be resolved in a couple months and Iam not pitching a fit either way. He is the one that put himself in this position.

[RiverDog]

OK. Got it. Having a gun in a parked car in the trunk that isn't yours is the same as firing a gun over a crowd of people, and wrapping your car around a tree in ssomeone's front yard with drugs in the cab, is the same as driving erratically and blowing BELOW the legal limit ( something you must have missed) being taken in and failing a blood test. If you say so.

Doesn't change my opinion in the least that should Smith garner less punishment than Lynch, the league and legal system have failed to do there job.

We are kind of talking in circles. I suggested 8 games. I don't know what Lynch served, because I do not care about these things. You posted 3 games, and I believe you. So, I am actually suggesting nearly 3 times the suspension that Lynch served and that does not even count the 5 games Aldon voluntarily sat. You can villify Aldon all you want, but the truth is his behavior is not 'that' dissimilar to Lynch's - which makes your past comments about my disinterest in this kind of thing all the more ironic. If there is a difference between the two, even by your analysis, it does not match the level of outrage displayed by most people toward Aldon. For god sake Marshawn is revered in Seattle and has Skittles thrown his way at home games, but Aldon is a menace that needs to be locked away? It's completely hypocrotical and you know it HC.

Anyhow, it will be resolved in a couple months and Iam not pitching a fit either way. He is the one that put himself in this position.

Futurite, you've made 11 posts in this thread in which you've attempted to rationalize Smith's crimes and argued for a slap on the wrists. Don't tell us that you are not "pitching a fit". If that were your feeling, you would not have perpetuated this thread to the degree that you have.

[NorthHawk]

I'll be happy if he gets a year suspension + probation as I think it would be the best thing for him, but I think it will be much less and end up along the lines Futureite suggests.
It depends on how severe the court sentence is - if it is harsh then more of a suspension, if it's lenient (from our point of view) then a lesser penalty from Goodell.
That's just my guess but we will see in a few months.

[HumanCockroach]

No, Future, we have a fundamental difference in what is similar and what isn't. I don't see having a gun, or driving erratically as the same as firing a gun or wrapping a tree around a tree while 2 times over the legal limit. Like I said I see degree's and levels of stupidity, you see only "gun" or "impaired" equals the same thing. It's the dog version of analysis. ( not sure if you have seen up, but at this point you are seeing stuff and saying "squirrel" instead ofwhat's in front of your nose).

[kalibane]

Nowhere has any intent been shown on Aldon's part to hurt anyone.

It doesn't matter Future and I don't know why you're so hung up on intent. You're talking about a known alcoholic at a party firing guns in a residential neighborhood. Knowing what we know about Smith do you think he was stone sober when he fired that gun? It's called gross negligence and you don't need to have intent to harm anyone in order to be held responsible. If you lived in that neighborhood with your children (if you have one) would you rally around Smith and tell everyone at the next HOA meeting, "relax, he wasn't trying to hurt anyone?". Smith got stabbed, two people got shot and he helped to escalate the incident.

While you're at it stop with the whole "the guns are legal in Arizona" garbage. It's not like he lived in Arizona where he bought the guns and then moved to California and just "forgot" to register them. He intentionally circumvented local law by purchasing guns he knew were illegal in his state of residence, with the intent (your favorite word) of bringing them into the State of California where, again, they were illegal.

This is not analgous to Marshawn Lynch. Let me know when Lynch starts firing live ammunition around a crowd of people, then we'll talk.

[RiverDog]

Nowhere has any intent been shown on Aldon's part to hurt anyone.

It doesn't matter Future and I don't know why you're so hung up on intent. You're talking about a known alcoholic at a party firing guns in a residential neighborhood. Knowing what we know about Smith do you think he was stone sober when he fired that gun? It's called gross negligence and you don't need to have intent to harm anyone in order to be held responsible. If you lived in that neighborhood with your children (if you have one) would you rally around Smith and tell everyone at the next HOA meeting, "relax, he wasn't trying to hurt anyone?". Smith got stabbed, two people got shot and he helped to escalate the incident.

While you're at it stop with the whole "the guns are legal in Arizona" garbage. It's not like he lived in Arizona where he bought the guns and then moved to California and just "forgot" to register them. He intentionally circumvented local law by purchasing guns he new were illegal in his state of residence, with the intent (your favorite word) of bringing them into the State of California where, again, they were illegal.

This is not analgous to Marshawn Lynch. Let me know when Lynch starts firing live ammunition around a crowd of people, then we'll talk.

Good post, Kal, but I want to add to it by noting that it's not just the weapons convictions. As HC pointed out, Smith wrapped his car around a tree and was found to have a BAC twice the legal limit and was convicted of not one, but two DUI's. And that's not considering the airport incident, which happened just a month ago, of which he was also convicted of a crime and shows that he still doesn't "get it." The guy needs to be shut down for a year, for his own good as well as to make an example out of him.

The jails are full of criminals that didn't "intend" to hurt anyone. Thank God that our justice system doesn't give criminals a Mulligan simply because they didn't "intend" to hurt anyone.

[HumanCockroach]

Another thing that seems to be getting lost in this conversation, is the time frame involved. Even IF someone wants to claim that Lynch and Smith have similar infractions ( which I completely and utterly refuse to agree with) Lynch's infractions were over what 7 or 8 years, as opposed to 6 felony counts along with a misdemeanor in 2 and 1/2 ( might be less, but this stuff has been dragged out, so it could have been 3 and a 1/2 I suppose). I think that will factor into whatlGoodall levies as a punishment. The League is sprinkled with non "intent" short periods of transgressions by players that resulted in suspensions for things like riding motorcycles and wrecking , DUI's , domestic violence etc. Depends IMO how much publicity the events get, so I'm not sure what that means towards Smith in the long term, but IMO it is something that will be weighed heavily by the commissioner if not the courts.

[NorthHawk]

It looks like any suspension will only be a few games.
It hasn't been determined, yet but it's beginning to look like not much of a suspension.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... 14-season/

[RiverDog]

It looks like any suspension will only be a few games.
It hasn't been determined, yet but it's beginning to look like not much of a suspension.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... 14-season/

I'll still say it.... anything less than 8 games would be a travesty. Convicted of 3 felonies plus a DUI? I don't see how that is less than PED violations.

[Futureite]

It looks like any suspension will only be a few games.
It hasn't been determined, yet but it's beginning to look like not much of a suspension.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... 14-season/

I'll still say it.... anything less than 8 games would be a travesty. Convicted of 3 felonies plus a DUI? I don't see how that is less than PED violations.

The judge can reduce all 3 counts to misdemeanors. Which if it occurs, I am sure will have plenty of people up in arms (no pun intended) but will also reflect the reality that the guy is really not guilty of much other than being/acting stupid.

[Anthony]

It looks like any suspension will only be a few games.
It hasn't been determined, yet but it's beginning to look like not much of a suspension.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... 14-season/

I'll still say it.... anything less than 8 games would be a travesty. Convicted of 3 felonies plus a DUI? I don't see how that is less than PED violations.

The judge can reduce all 3 counts to misdemeanors. Which if it occurs, I am sure will have plenty of people up in arms (no pun intended) but will also reflect the reality that the guy is really not guilty of much other than being/acting stupid.

Reducing it does not prove anything other than he cut a deal, his being a pro athlete helped. It also does not mean the NFL cannot suspend him for 8 games, he pleases no contest, which means "The English translation of a nolo contendere plea used in criminal cases. Generally the terms nolo contendere and no contest are used inter-changeably in the legal community. The operation of a no contest plea is similar to a plea of guilty." so like I said pleading no contest doe snot mean the NFL cannot suspend him for 8 or more games. That said, I am sure he already knows whats coming form the NFL and it is probably less than 8 games my guess 3-5. The only way it is more is if the NFL reaches down and realizes they have balls, and are willing to suspend a person for 3 major crimes even if they do play on one of the face franchises. IF that happens expect 8+ and to me rightfully so.

[HumanCockroach]

Or he can sentence him to over 4 years in prison. Wouldn't be popping that champagne quite yet if I was you. He certainly is guilty of everything he admitted guilt to, whether the judge decides to give him the star athlete treatment or not is all that remains to be seen. His guilt has already been determined.

[Futureite]

The judge can reduce all 3 counts to misdemeanors. Which if it occurs, I am sure will have plenty of people up in arms (no pun intended) but will also reflect the reality that the guy is really not guilty of much other than being/acting stupid.[/quote]

Reducing it does not prove anything other than he cut a deal, his being a pro athlete helped. It also does not mean the NFL cannot suspend him for 8 games, he pleases no contest, which means "The English translation of a nolo contendere plea used in criminal cases. Generally the terms nolo contendere and no contest are used inter-changeably in the legal community. The operation of a no contest plea is similar to a plea of guilty." so like I said pleading no contest doe snot mean the NFL cannot suspend him for 8 or more games. That said, I am sure he already knows whats coming form the NFL and it is probably less than 8 games my guess 3-5. The only way it is more is if the NFL reaches down and realizes they have balls, and are willing to suspend a person for 3 major crimes even if they do play on one of the face franchises. IF that happens expect 8+ and to me rightfully so.[/quote]

The NFL can do whatever they want, regardless of the legal system. The classification of the crime means nothing to me. I only referenced that because so many people are using it as the crux of their argument. California is different than other states. We have a budget crunch nearly every yr, which the government solves by taxing and regulating everything (including guns). We have gang problems that no other state has, and one of our biggest economic drivers in the public sector is the prison system. In short, there are a LOT of reasons that possession of an unregistered firearm may result in a felony conviction here. People do not seem to understand this though, and instead attribute that word with some sort of heinous act.

Economic motivation aside, Aldon is not the type of guy this law was intended to penalize. He's not a gang member or a drug dealer. He didn't purchase these guns with the intent to sell them. He didn't formulate a plan to rob a bank or shoot up a strip mall. There is a reason I guessed he'd get no jail time and 8 games, and a reason so many people find that unfathomable. You have to consider what actually occurred and what the law was intended to prevent to form an accurate opinion. Most people never go that far - with anything in life. It's easier to claim the punishment is unjust due to stardom.

With the time he voluntarily sat, even a 4 game suspension = 10 games. That's more than enough of a punshment for a series of events with no malicious intent, where no one got hurt.

[HumanCockroach]

Big difference between owning a hand gun and firing an assault rifle over a crowd ( that YOU assembled) to disperse them. It doesn't take a whole hell of a lot of intelligence or responsibility to grasp that concept, by anyone, in any state.

[Anthony]

The judge can reduce all 3 counts to misdemeanors. Which if it occurs, I am sure will have plenty of people up in arms (no pun intended) but will also reflect the reality that the guy is really not guilty of much other than being/acting stupid.

Reducing it does not prove anything other than he cut a deal, his being a pro athlete helped. It also does not mean the NFL cannot suspend him for 8 games, he pleases no contest, which means "The English translation of a nolo contendere plea used in criminal cases. Generally the terms nolo contendere and no contest are used inter-changeably in the legal community. The operation of a no contest plea is similar to a plea of guilty." so like I said pleading no contest doe snot mean the NFL cannot suspend him for 8 or more games. That said, I am sure he already knows whats coming form the NFL and it is probably less than 8 games my guess 3-5. The only way it is more is if the NFL reaches down and realizes they have balls, and are willing to suspend a person for 3 major crimes even if they do play on one of the face franchises. IF that happens expect 8+ and to me rightfully so.[/quote]

The NFL can do whatever they want, regardless of the legal system. The classification of the crime means nothing to me. I only referenced that because so many people are using it as the crux of their argument. California is different than other states. We have a budget crunch nearly every yr, which the government solves by taxing and regulating everything (including guns). We have gang problems that no other state has, and one of our biggest economic drivers in the public sector is the prison system. In short, there are a LOT of reasons that possession of an unregistered firearm may result in a felony conviction here. People do not seem to understand this though, and instead attribute that word with some sort of heinous act.

Economic motivation aside, Aldon is not the type of guy this law was intended to penalize. He's not a gang member or a drug dealer. He didn't purchase these guns with the intent to sell them. He didn't formulate a plan to rob a bank or shoot up a strip mall. There is a reason I guessed he'd get no jail time and 8 games, and a reason so many people find that unfathomable. You have to consider what actually occurred and what the law was intended to prevent to form an accurate opinion. Most people never go that far - with anything in life. It's easier to claim the punishment is unjust due to stardom.

With the time he voluntarily sat, even a 4 game suspension = 10 games. That's more than enough of a punshment for a series of events with no malicious intent, where no one got hurt.[/quote]

Yeah I hope you do not believe the BS you are saying, because frankly it is pretty lame. The guy did not just commit 1 crime but 3. He picked up the gun no one made him. I am less concerned with the jail time then the suspension given others have been suspended for far less, and 8 game is fine but no time served or voluntary sat out, that is crap, its 8 games period. Again that said with him being a SF player and them being one of the marque franchises he will get nothing. Does not make it right, and please do not think for one minute any of doe snot know if it were a Seahawk you would want the book thrown at them, but it is on of your players, and 1 you need to have any real chance to compete, so of course your excuse train is out.

[RiverDog]

The judge can reduce all 3 counts to misdemeanors. Which if it occurs, I am sure will have plenty of people up in arms (no pun intended) but will also reflect the reality that the guy is really not guilty of much other than being/acting stupid.

Are you sure about that? All I've ever heard is that Smith's next appearance before the court is for sentencing. I have heard nothing about the court revisiting the charge of which he has already been convicted.

Do you have a source for your information?

[Futureite]

The judge can reduce all 3 counts to misdemeanors. Which if it occurs, I am sure will have plenty of people up in arms (no pun intended) but will also reflect the reality that the guy is really not guilty of much other than being/acting stupid.

Are you sure about that? All I've ever heard is that Smith's next appearance before the court is for sentencing. I have heard nothing about the court revisiting the charge of which he has already been convicted.

Do you have a source for your information?

In CA we have certain felonies that are considered "wobblers" and others which are considered "straight felonies". A wobbler can be reduced to misdemeanors based upon prior criminal history and the facts and circumstances of the case; a straight felony cannot be reduced. The topic has been discussed on various forums but I believe the easiest one to find is on SB Nation. All of that really reflects what I've been posting.

If you look at what actually occurred - the intent, who he is, and the outcome - the outrage is a bit over the top. I used the the example of my friend who got drunk and shot his TV with a semi-automatic pistol. He served one night in jail, even after threatening the arresting officer. I doubt he'd have gotten off that easy had he shot a TV at in Sear's electronics department or had prior convictions. But he was a college grad with no malicious intent, who fired his weapon at his own residence. You always have to look at the facts and circumstances.

[NorthHawk]

When you get high priced lawyers involved, there is a lot of horse trading going on by both sides to lessen the costs to the public and in return mitigating the sentencing.
It happens all the time.

What to an outsider appears to be an open and shut case can end up with the convicted getting a very light punishment.
As we aren't privy to all of the facts, nor the mindsets of the Prosecutor or Judge, a wide range of sentencing is available.

From what little I've read, it appears that Smith will miss only a couple of games, but Goodell is the final arbiter if Smith doesn't get time that impacts his season.

I still think Goodell will go light on Smith so he can go light on Irsay and still say the punishments were equitable.
After all, Irsay is one of the guys paying Goodells 35 - 45 Million dollar salary.

[RiverDog]

I've heard of judges suspending sentences, but I didn't know that they could arbitrarily overturn a conviction at a sentencing hearing. I thought that once they were convicted, it stood unless it was overturned on appeal or if a mistrial was declared. But I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a lawyer. We'll see.

Future, the comparison about your friend shooting his TV might be a good analogy if it wasn't for the fact that Smith was convicted of not one, not two, but three felonies plus the DUI's. It's not so much about the seriousness of the crimes as it is the frequency of them. You can overlook or rationalize one or maybe two of them, but not when a trend like what Smith has been doing develops.

Interesting theory, North Hawk.

[HumanCockroach]

My issue with a "light" suspension has always remained that these "issues" are a HELL of a lot more serious than missing a couple pee tests and testing positive for weed, or peeing dirty on a PED. Yes, those offense SHOULD be punished, however, any time a DANGEROUS CRIME ( which no MATTER how Future tries to paint them ALL of Smith's were) the penalty should be more severe than smoking some pot, or attempting to gain a work advantage that is banned by the league.

It's great and all that no one was killed by Smith's stupidity, but punishing him based on that by the league is inconsistent in any way with their willingness to suspend and fine players for things like kicking a players arm on the field, getting popped for weed or PEDS or simply repeatedly crashing a motorcycle or getting in a barfight. Four games have been handed out for DUI's, testing positive or any number of "stupid" decisions, and yet few had the same possibilities that Smith's infractions did.

( and can we please stop with the "voluntary" punishment garbage. There is NO such thing, at least at the NFL level, or even in real life. If a man breaks the law, and then puts himself in treatment, it doesn't absolve him of the crimes. Period. A Judge might indeed take it into account and avoid the stiffest penalty possible, but typically there is STILL a punishment handed out, and there sure as hell sound be)

[NorthHawk]

Every case is different and looked at on its own merits - or demerits as the case may be.
Sure, they use precedent but there is a lot of leeway for sentencing in almost every case.
We all have heard of cases where the sentencing doesn't look like it is even close to being considered justice, but they happen all the same.
That's the system that's in place - and with good lawyering many get off scot free or with much less of a sentence.

[Seahawks4Ever]

Alden Smith will miss a few games and that will be it as far as Goodell is concerned. Why? Money, SF is one of the huge draws on TV especially the playoffs. If Smith misses a huge number of games then it will be harder for the Whiners to make the playoffs and that would make the TV executives very unhappy. As for Irsay, Goodell won't do a thing because as another poster pointed out he is employed by the owners and none of them would want Goodell sitting in judgement of them, knows whom he works for and he can be fired by them very owners. Goodell can't afford to have any owners be his enemy.

[kalibane]

Um... Future TI (rapper) went to prison over the same kind of crimes Aldon Smith was charged with and he was no more plotting to commit crimes or engage in violence than Smith was. So please don't act like it's the intent that means everything.

I honestly don't care what his sentence is beyond the fact that I think it kind of sucks he has a way more checkered history than I do but if I plead no contest to three felonies I'd get time. I more take issue with you acting like people are twisting the law and this is just some kind of misunderstanding that people are exaggerating.

It's not. I probably don't agree with the laws that made his guns illegal in California (haven't really looked at it though). And I don't care if the weapons were legal in Arizona. In fact it makes it kind of worse that they are when you take into account his intent. You keep acting like he bought them in Arizona then moved to California and just kept forgetting to deal with the legality issue like a kid procrastinating with their homework.

No... what really happened is that he knew they were illegal in California and couldn't buy them but they were legal in Arizona, so when he travelled to Arizona for a road game he took a special trip to buy them there and brought them back into California illegally. He intentionally flauted the law because it didn't meet with his wants and desires. That's what really bothers me about his weapons charges. He just decided well it's against the law (not just a citation worthy offense or even a misdemeanor, but a felony), but you know what I don't agree with that so I'm going to commit a felony anyway because I want to have what I want to have when I want to have it. He wasn't impaired by drugs or alcohol, he concocted a plan with full lucidity to commit a felony.

It's not an honest mistake. And in principal those are really the types of people who deserve to be met with the full measure of the law.

I know the way the legal system works so I'm not going to throw a huge tantrum about him not getting a harsh sentence. But it'd be nice if you were actually a little honest about the situation.

Also like I said before... I'm more concerned that he's had a ton of incidents in the last year or so that is taking on a self destructive pattern and if people keep coddling him he's going to end up really hurting himself or someone else whether by intent or not. Aldon Smith is the type of person who needs a long "personal conduct" suspension to hopefully shake him back to reality and get his life together.

[RiverDog]

Um... Future TI (rapper) went to prison over the same kind of crimes Aldon Smith was charged with and he was no more plotting to commit crimes or engage in violence than Smith was. So please don't act like it's the intent that means everything.

I honestly don't care what his sentence is beyond the fact that I think it kind of sucks he has a way more checkered history than I do but if I plead no contest to three felonies I'd get time. I more take issue with you acting like people are twisting the law and this is just some kind of misunderstanding that people are exaggerating.

It's not. I probably don't agree with the laws that made his guns illegal in California (haven't really looked at it though). And I don't care if the weapons were legal in Arizona. In fact it makes it kind of worse that they are when you take into account his intent. You keep acting like he bought them in Arizona then moved to California and just kept forgetting to deal with the legality issue like a kid procrastinating with their homework.

No... what really happened is that he knew they were illegal in California and couldn't buy them but they were legal in Arizona, so when he travelled to Arizona for a road game he took a special trip to buy them there and brought them back into California illegally. He intentionally flauted the law because it didn't meet with his wants and desires. That's what really bothers me about his weapons charges. He just decided well it's against the law (not just a citation worthy offense or even a misdemeanor, but a felony), but you know what I don't agree with that so I'm going to commit a felony anyway because I want to have what I want to have when I want to have it. He wasn't impaired by drugs or alcohol, he concocted a plan with full lucidity to commit a felony.

It's not an honest mistake. And in principal those are really the types of people who deserve to be met with the full measure of the law.

I know the way the legal system works so I'm not going to throw a huge tantrum about him not getting a harsh sentence. But it'd be nice if you were actually a little honest about the situation.

Also like I said before... I'm more concerned that he's had a ton of incidents in the last year or so that is taking on a self destructive pattern and if people keep coddling him he's going to end up really hurting himself or someone else whether by intent or not. Aldon Smith is the type of person who needs a long "personal conduct" suspension to hopefully shake him back to reality and get his life together.

As usual, Kal hit this one out of the park. I never read of the details of Smith's gun violations and hadn't realized that he knew they were illegal in CA so he picked them up in AZ. That does shed a quite different light on the matter than the spin Futureite is trying to put on it. It's one thing to get caught up in the widely varying, state-to-state laws (I think there was a case of a Marine Corps sergeant asking about checking in his weapon and subsequently being brought to trial for a weapons violation that is a classic example of such a problem), and a completely different thing when you consciously break the law.

But my 'thing' isn't so much with the courts as it is with Goodell's decision. I'm like HC. When you weigh such things as a 4 game suspension for PED's with 3 felonies and a couple of DUI's, it just isn't right if the PED's carry more weight than the felony convictions. Same with the Bounty Gate suspensions.

[NorthHawk]

Then again, the things Smith did put the NFL in a bad light, but one could argue that PEDs strike at the very heart of fair competition.
It depends on what you value more, or how Goodell views as more important.

[Futureite]

Um... Future TI (rapper) went to prison over the same kind of crimes Aldon Smith was charged with and he was no more plotting to commit crimes or engage in violence than Smith was. So please don't act like it's the intent that means everything.

I honestly don't care what his sentence is beyond the fact that I think it kind of sucks he has a way more checkered history than I do but if I plead no contest to three felonies I'd get time. I more take issue with you acting like people are twisting the law and this is just some kind of misunderstanding that people are exaggerating.

It's not. I probably don't agree with the laws that made his guns illegal in California (haven't really looked at it though). And I don't care if the weapons were legal in Arizona. In fact it makes it kind of worse that they are when you take into account his intent. You keep acting like he bought them in Arizona then moved to California and just kept forgetting to deal with the legality issue like a kid procrastinating with their homework.

No... what really happened is that he knew they were illegal in California and couldn't buy them but they were legal in Arizona, so when he travelled to Arizona for a road game he took a special trip to buy them there and brought them back into California illegally. He intentionally flauted the law because it didn't meet with his wants and desires. That's what really bothers me about his weapons charges. He just decided well it's against the law (not just a citation worthy offense or even a misdemeanor, but a felony), but you know what I don't agree with that so I'm going to commit a felony anyway because I want to have what I want to have when I want to have it. He wasn't impaired by drugs or alcohol, he concocted a plan with full lucidity to commit a felony.

It's not an honest mistake. And in principal those are really the types of people who deserve to be met with the full measure of the law.

I know the way the legal system works so I'm not going to throw a huge tantrum about him not getting a harsh sentence. But it'd be nice if you were actually a little honest about the situation.

Also like I said before... I'm more concerned that he's had a ton of incidents in the last year or so that is taking on a self destructive pattern and if people keep coddling him he's going to end up really hurting himself or someone else whether by intent or not. Aldon Smith is the type of person who needs a long "personal conduct" suspension to hopefully shake him back to reality and get his life together.

As usual, Kal hit this one out of the park. I never read of the details of Smith's gun violations and hadn't realized that he knew they were illegal in CA so he picked them up in AZ. That does shed a quite different light on the matter than the spin Futureite is trying to put on it. It's one thing to get caught up in the widely varying, state-to-state laws (I think there was a case of a Marine Corps sergeant asking about checking in his weapon and subsequently being brought to trial for a weapons violation that is a classic example of such a problem), and a completely different thing when you consciously break the law.

But my 'thing' isn't so much with the courts as it is with Goodell's decision. I'm like HC. When you weigh such things as a 4 game suspension for PED's with 3 felonies and a couple of DUI's, it just isn't right if the PED's carry more weight than the felony convictions. Same with the Bounty Gate suspensions.

River, TI was part of a group that had a gunfight outside of an ATL club that left his friend dead. I do not know all the details of that case, but if memory serves the volume of weapons and where he carried them (not to mention the event I just noted) obviously made an easy case for him being a threat. So if Aldon had nefarious intent, why don't you just state what it was? All I am saying is nothing has been shown in his past or present to suggest he had intent to commit any violent act. You keep dancing around that and citing "felony" but you're not looking at any of the facts and circumstances. I don't believe he's an angel and he desrves some penalty, but 4 games on top of what he already voluntarily satvis more than enough.

As Northhawk posted, PEDs, bountygate etc effect the integrity of the game. Another fact that people dance around by excusing PED violations is that the NFL will not disclose certain PEDs that a player tested for. I am getting tired of reading "player X only smoked a bowl and he gets X number of games". In reality, that player may have been taking any number of pharmecuticals which gave him an unfair competitive advantage, just like barry Bonds.

[Anthony]

Um... Future TI (rapper) went to prison over the same kind of crimes Aldon Smith was charged with and he was no more plotting to commit crimes or engage in violence than Smith was. So please don't act like it's the intent that means everything.

I honestly don't care what his sentence is beyond the fact that I think it kind of sucks he has a way more checkered history than I do but if I plead no contest to three felonies I'd get time. I more take issue with you acting like people are twisting the law and this is just some kind of misunderstanding that people are exaggerating.

It's not. I probably don't agree with the laws that made his guns illegal in California (haven't really looked at it though). And I don't care if the weapons were legal in Arizona. In fact it makes it kind of worse that they are when you take into account his intent. You keep acting like he bought them in Arizona then moved to California and just kept forgetting to deal with the legality issue like a kid procrastinating with their homework.

No... what really happened is that he knew they were illegal in California and couldn't buy them but they were legal in Arizona, so when he travelled to Arizona for a road game he took a special trip to buy them there and brought them back into California illegally. He intentionally flauted the law because it didn't meet with his wants and desires. That's what really bothers me about his weapons charges. He just decided well it's against the law (not just a citation worthy offense or even a misdemeanor, but a felony), but you know what I don't agree with that so I'm going to commit a felony anyway because I want to have what I want to have when I want to have it. He wasn't impaired by drugs or alcohol, he concocted a plan with full lucidity to commit a felony.

It's not an honest mistake. And in principal those are really the types of people who deserve to be met with the full measure of the law.

I know the way the legal system works so I'm not going to throw a huge tantrum about him not getting a harsh sentence. But it'd be nice if you were actually a little honest about the situation.

Also like I said before... I'm more concerned that he's had a ton of incidents in the last year or so that is taking on a self destructive pattern and if people keep coddling him he's going to end up really hurting himself or someone else whether by intent or not. Aldon Smith is the type of person who needs a long "personal conduct" suspension to hopefully shake him back to reality and get his life together.

As usual, Kal hit this one out of the park. I never read of the details of Smith's gun violations and hadn't realized that he knew they were illegal in CA so he picked them up in AZ. That does shed a quite different light on the matter than the spin Futureite is trying to put on it. It's one thing to get caught up in the widely varying, state-to-state laws (I think there was a case of a Marine Corps sergeant asking about checking in his weapon and subsequently being brought to trial for a weapons violation that is a classic example of such a problem), and a completely different thing when you consciously break the law.

But my 'thing' isn't so much with the courts as it is with Goodell's decision. I'm like HC. When you weigh such things as a 4 game suspension for PED's with 3 felonies and a couple of DUI's, it just isn't right if the PED's carry more weight than the felony convictions. Same with the Bounty Gate suspensions.

River, TI was part of a group that had a gunfight outside of an ATL club that left his friend dead. I do not know all the details of that case, but if memory serves the volume of weapons and where he carried them (not to mention the event I just noted) obviously made an easy case for him being a threat. So if Aldon had nefarious intent, why don't you just state what it was? All I am saying is nothing has been shown in his past or present to suggest he had intent to commit any violent act. You keep dancing around that and citing "felony" but you're not looking at any of the facts and circumstances. I don't believe he's an angel and he desrves some penalty, but 4 games on top of what he already voluntarily satvis more than enough.

As Northhawk posted, PEDs, bountygate etc effect the integrity of the game. Another fact that people dance around by excusing PED violations is that the NFL will not disclose certain PEDs that a player tested for. I am getting tired of reading "player X only smoked a bowl and he gets X number of games". In reality, that player may have been taking any number of pharmecuticals which gave him an unfair competitive advantage, just like barry Bonds.

Dude I am so tired of your act, you are doing what you always do finding every excuse under the sun for why one of your boys should get away with anything they want, even trying to throw others under the bus. The guy did it, he admitted to it, he admitted to doing 3 very serious crimes, you can talk integrity of the game and all that BS but you know what, what is to stop him from bringing a gun to work and shooting it when he has a bad day, you think that might hurt the integrity of the game. The guy did it, open and shut, he should be jailed for it and then suspended major for it, Will he? Who knows, probably not because he is from SF, if he was from AZ oh heck yeah he would be threw but not SF. So be happy another one of your players will get away with committing crimes.

[RiverDog]

River, TI was part of a group that had a gunfight outside of an ATL club that left his friend dead. I do not know all the details of that case, but if memory serves the volume of weapons and where he carried them (not to mention the event I just noted) obviously made an easy case for him being a threat. So if Aldon had nefarious intent, why don't you just state what it was? All I am saying is nothing has been shown in his past or present to suggest he had intent to commit any violent act. You keep dancing around that and citing "felony" but you're not looking at any of the facts and circumstances. I don't believe he's an angel and he desrves some penalty, but 4 games on top of what he already voluntarily satvis more than enough.

As Northhawk posted, PEDs, bountygate etc effect the integrity of the game. Another fact that people dance around by excusing PED violations is that the NFL will not disclose certain PEDs that a player tested for. I am getting tired of reading "player X only smoked a bowl and he gets X number of games". In reality, that player may have been taking any number of pharmecuticals which gave him an unfair competitive advantage, just like barry Bonds.

I am not excusing the use of PED's or complaining about the length of suspensions, including those that our Hawks players have drawn. To the contrary, I have been very critical of our players that got caught, even Richard Sherman, who IMO got lucky and got off on a technicality, and have gone round and round with a number of my fellow 12's that disagreed with my take. I fully support the league's efforts to curb the use of PED's. All I have done is drawn a contrast between the length of those suspensions and what I consider to be more serious behavior, sets a worse example for our kids, and has a larger effect on the integrity of the game than does PED use.

[NorthHawk]

River, TI was part of a group that had a gunfight outside of an ATL club that left his friend dead. I do not know all the details of that case, but if memory serves the volume of weapons and where he carried them (not to mention the event I just noted) obviously made an easy case for him being a threat. So if Aldon had nefarious intent, why don't you just state what it was? All I am saying is nothing has been shown in his past or present to suggest he had intent to commit any violent act. You keep dancing around that and citing "felony" but you're not looking at any of the facts and circumstances. I don't believe he's an angel and he desrves some penalty, but 4 games on top of what he already voluntarily satvis more than enough.

As Northhawk posted, PEDs, bountygate etc effect the integrity of the game. Another fact that people dance around by excusing PED violations is that the NFL will not disclose certain PEDs that a player tested for. I am getting tired of reading "player X only smoked a bowl and he gets X number of games". In reality, that player may have been taking any number of pharmecuticals which gave him an unfair competitive advantage, just like barry Bonds.

I am not excusing the use of PED's or complaining about the length of suspensions, including those that our Hawks players have drawn. To the contrary, I have been very critical of our players that got caught, even Richard Sherman, who IMO got lucky and got off on a technicality, and have gone round and round with a number of my fellow 12's that disagreed with my take. I fully support the league's efforts to curb the use of PED's. All I have done is drawn a contrast between the length of those suspensions and what I consider to be more serious behavior, sets a worse example for our kids, and has a larger effect on the integrity of the game than does PED use.

I'm not so sure the NFL looks at it like the rest of society does. In that I mean I think they think cheating would be a more serious threat to their "Brand" than felonies. After all, they survived Ray Carruth shooting his pregnant girlfriend, numerous rape allegations and some convictions, and other things that happen in society. However, a cheating scandal, be it PEDs or shaving points has a potential to ruin the image that they have cultivated for the last 50 years or more.

[Futureite]

River, TI was part of a group that had a gunfight outside of an ATL club that left his friend dead. I do not know all the details of that case, but if memory serves the volume of weapons and where he carried them (not to mention the event I just noted) obviously made an easy case for him being a threat. So if Aldon had nefarious intent, why don't you just state what it was? All I am saying is nothing has been shown in his past or present to suggest he had intent to commit any violent act. You keep dancing around that and citing "felony" but you're not looking at any of the facts and circumstances. I don't believe he's an angel and he desrves some penalty, but 4 games on top of what he already voluntarily satvis more than enough.

As Northhawk posted, PEDs, bountygate etc effect the integrity of the game. Another fact that people dance around by excusing PED violations is that the NFL will not disclose certain PEDs that a player tested for. I am getting tired of reading "player X only smoked a bowl and he gets X number of games". In reality, that player may have been taking any number of pharmecuticals which gave him an unfair competitive advantage, just like barry Bonds.

I am not excusing the use of PED's or complaining about the length of suspensions, including those that our Hawks players have drawn. To the contrary, I have been very critical of our players that got caught, even Richard Sherman, who IMO got lucky and got off on a technicality, and have gone round and round with a number of my fellow 12's that disagreed with my take. I fully support the league's efforts to curb the use of PED's. All I have done is drawn a contrast between the length of those suspensions and what I consider to be more serious behavior, sets a worse example for our kids, and has a larger effect on the integrity of the game than does PED use.

I was not directing the PED comparison at you personally; it is one that I read quite often though.

This weekend I can drive to Nevada and buy M-80s and other fireworks that are illegal in CA, but does that make me a terrorist? Yes, I've broken the law. But unless I have demonstrated some intent to use them to commit a violent crime, what does it really say about my character? Not much.

That's the only issue that I have here. It's your right to say Aldon is a punk, a thug, or a danger to society - but he should should be punished for what actually occured, not an opinion. He should be punished by the league based upon possession of a firearm that is lillegal in CA and a DUI. Nothing more, nothing less. He has voluntarily sat and - to my knowledge - forfeited salary. At some point enough is enough. We are talking 10 games missed even with a 4 game suspension. That sounds just and fair to me.

Also, it is worth noting that Aldon entered the draft with an A+ character grade. Given that, it's a much easier case to make that he is a good, but troubled kid rather than the "thug" that people have tried to portray and punish him as. IMO, the irony is that fans in general attempt to apply that tag to him for their own personal reasons. The outrage is not for what he has done off the field, but because he is good at what he does on it. They do not want to see him in a uniform this yr because it weakens the 49ers. If he is suspended 16 games trust me, they'll go back to not giving two shits about how safe San Jose or better yet "Santa Clara" is while Aldon roams its streets. Lol let's be honest about that.

[HumanCockroach]

Interesting take Future considering everything I read, plus the discussion during the draft was that he had several "red flags" and was a high risk for off field trouble. Doesn't mean he was already in trouble, nor does it mean the Niners shouldn't have drafted him, or that he was guaranteed to get in trouble. The "A character" grade seems like a pretty long stretch to me, but regardless, he remains a felon, who with or without intent endangered multiple people, more than once.