According to court documents, Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith plead guilty last month to driving under the influence and received two years probation, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star, who adds that under the terms of the NFL’s new drug agreement, Smith will now face a two-game suspension.
The league’s new drug policy, which was jointly approved by the NFL and the NFLPA last September, calls for a two-game ban to be levied upon a player’s “conviction or plea agreement for violations of law involving alcohol and driving.” According to Paylor, the policy also allows for longer suspensions in the case of “aggravating circumstances” such as property damage (Smith allegedly drove into a light pole).
So despite the fact that Smith won’t face any legal ramifications, he’s still likely to face discipline from the league. During talks on the drug standards, the union successfully argued against immediate suspension for players upon arrest for DUI, so Smith, who was arrested last June, didn’t face any penalties until entering his plea.
Smith, who is entering the final season of a three-year pact he signed in 2013, recently said he wouldn’t be opposed to playing out his deal with Kansas City (instead of working out an extension). His base salary for the year is guaranteed, so he probably isn’t going anywhere despite this incident, but the club will likely have to turn to its backup corners to get through the first two contests of 2015.