Sean Smith‘s NFL days may well be over, and it’s certain he will not play in 2018. The free agent cornerback will be suspended for the rest of this season, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The 31-year-old corner spent part of this year in prison but was released over the summer. An assault incident led to a one-year prison sentence, and Smith served less than half of that. Smith will be eligible to petition for reinstatement following Super Bowl LIII, per Schefter, though that’s obviously not a lock given what’s transpired.
The felony assault charge stemmed from a July 4, 2017 incident. Smith allegedly beat his sister’s boyfriend and stomped on his head. This came barely a year after the Raiders signed him to a four-year deal.
A former Dolphins, Chiefs and Raiders defender, Smith has been available since his release, but, predictably, no one signed him. The Raiders released Smith this offseason. He will turn 32 before the start of the 2019 season.
Prior to the prison stay, though, the 6-foot-3 boundary corner did start 123 games from 2009-17. Last season marked just the second year of Smith’s nine-season career he wasn’t a full-time starter.
I imagine Aldon and Sean will have some interesting conversations when they reminisce about their days with the Raiders.