UPDATED July 30, 5:50 p.m. ET
Oakland Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie and the organization is reportedly standing by Aldon Smith as he continues his suspension from the NFL for violating the league's drug policy. "We're going to support Aldon the person," McKenzie told CSN Bay Area on Saturday, as their outside linebacker focuses on his quest for sobriety. McKenzie added, "Whether he comes back to us or not, that has no bearing on anything. We told him from Day 1 that we care more about the person than the player. Whatever he does to ensure his health, we're going to stand behind him."
Smith vehemently denied in his latest tweet on July 25 that the Periscope video of the smoking a blunt was himself.
See original story below.
UPDATED July 29, 2:15 p.m. ET
Aldon Smith has checked himself into a treatment center just days after a Periscope video that appeared to show him smoking marijuana surfaced, according to TMZ Sports. It's unclear what Smith is seeking treatment for at this time, but TMZ Sports is reporting that Smith has completed at least one rehab stint in the past.
See original story below.
Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith is currently serving a one-year suspension as a result of an August 2015 DUI arrest. Smith has also battled substance abuse issues in the past and was suspended for nine games during the 2014-15 NFL season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. So surely, he wouldn’t be crazy enough to post a video of him smoking weed on Periscope, right? Errr…
As first reported by CSNBayArea.com, it appears as though Smith has been using the social media site under the name @ravenga in recent months. He is clearly pictured in a handful of videos that have been uploaded to Periscope. And while many of the clips feature Smith doing mundane things like singing, driving, and talking about Pokémon Go, there’s a video called “Fire up session” that was uploaded a little more than two weeks ago that has raised a few eyebrows over the course of the last 12 hours.
Smith doesn’t show his face in the video, but the clip features a man who sounds an awful lot like Smith talking to a female friend and holding what appears to be marijuana. CSN Bay Area transcribed their conversation, and the transcript probably won’t do Smith any favors the next time he speaks with the NFL. You can read it here:
Female: [Expletive], I’m not [expletive] with you.
Smith denied holding a blunt during a Periscope session on Sunday night. He also posted this on Twitter on Monday afternoon:
Despite his claims, the NFL is reportedly going to investigate the video:
You can watch the controversial clip above and find more of Smith’s Periscope videos here. If Smith is really doing what it appears he’s doing in his video, his NFL future could be in more doubt than ever before.
