Seahawks’ Aldon Smith Wanted For Battery

Just a few days after the Seahawks signed pass rusher Aldon Smith, there are already complications. Smith is wanted in New Orleans on a charge of second-degree battery, Travers Mackel of WDSU tweets.

The bulletin from the sheriff’s office says Smith is wanted for an alleged battery that happened on April 17 outside the French Press Coffee House. An acquaintance of Smith’s accused the 31-year-old defender of assault, according to a police report (via NOLA.com’s Amie Just, on Twitter). A warrant went out for Smith’s arrest.

It’s an unfortunate development who just finally got back on the field last season after many years of off-field issues. The seventh overall pick of the 2011 draft by the 49ers, Smith became an instant star and racked up 19.5 sacks while picking up a first-team All-Pro nod in 2012.

Things unraveled pretty quickly after that, as Smith was hit with a series of suspensions for various substance abuse and legal issues. After not having played in a game since the 2015 season, he improbably managed to return to the NFL with the Cowboys last year.

He had five sacks and a fumble recovery touchdown in 16 games with Dallas. The Seahawks had been interested for a while, as they tried to trade for him at the trade deadline. It’s unclear if their interest is strong enough for them to put up with this latest incident. It wouldn’t be surprising if Seattle elects to cut ties and not deal with the headache. Smith will turn 32 in September.

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