Aldon Smith Surrenders To Police On Felony Weapons Charges

Aldon Smith has turned himself in to police on felony weapons charges, part of an agreement the San Francisco 49ers linebacker made with the Santa Clara District Attorney.

Smith had agreed to turn himself in by the end of the month on charges of possessing illegal assault weapons, a charge that was brought on October 9.

He turned himself in just before 7 pm PT on Tuesday, but did not stay long. Smith was released on $75,000 bail, and is due back in court to face weapons charges on November 12.

Aldon Smith has been on indefinite leave from the 49ers after leaving to enter substance abuse rehab. The move was sparked by a September 20 arrest for DUI.

“I am taking a leave of absence to address my health,” Smith said in a statement at the time. “I am sorry that I have affected my team, my family and the organization. I will do everything in my power to handle this situation the best way possible. I appreciate the support of the 49ers and our fans.”

He is due in court on November 19 to face the DUI charge.

Aldon Smith has also yet to face discipline from the NFL for his DUI charge, but league commissioner Roger Goodell said his decision to enter rehab may play into disciplinary hearings. Smith entered rehab with the blessing of both his team and the league.

“The issue here is not to discipline players,” Goodell said. “The issue is to stop the behavior. And Aldon… has voluntarily said, ‘I need help.’ We are obviously there to support him, and the 49ers did a great job getting him into a facility to try to get that help. We all support that. So, yes, it will be a factor, for sure.”

It is still unclear when Aldon Smith could return to the 49ers, but sources said the team will evaluate his position after the bye week. General manager Trent Baalke said the team needs to see “progress” and develop a “trust factor” with Smith before he can return.