49ers’ LB Aldon Smith Goes from Penthouse to Jailhouse

Aldon Smith didn’t play like a rookie this season, but it appears the San Francisco 49ers linebacker has made a costly rookie mistake less than a week into his first offseason.

Just when you thought the 49ers’ week couldn’t get any worse, the potential defensive rookie of the year was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Miami Beach on Saturday, according to multiple reports and Miami-Dade County jail system records.

And we’re not just talking any jail system here, we’re talking the nation’s eighth largest, where some of the worst criminals in the state are held and where last year a federal investigation cited the system for “inhumane and shocking conditions,” excessive force on inmates and inadequate medical care.

The arrest comes less than a week after Smith turned in one of his best games as a 49er, sacking Eli Manning in the fourth quarter as San Francisco hung on to a 14-10 lead against the New York Giants.

But despite the six sacks by the 49ers, we all know what happened next.

Smith’s week continued to spiral out of control on Saturday morning when he was picked up by Miami Beach police –putting a sour ending on what was a strong first season for the Missouri product.

The NFL’s January/December Defensive Rookie of the Month led all rookies and was fifth overall with 14 sacks this season (16 including the playoffs), including 8 1/2 over the last seven games. Smith’s 14 sacks were the most by a rookie in franchise history, and were the second-most by an NFL rookie since sacks became a statistic in 1982. Jevon Kearse had 14.5 sacks his rookie year at Tennessee in 1999.

Now, the first-round pick by the 49ers is not only facing legal action but a possible suspension as well.