There’s a town named Centralia in Pennsylvania that currently has a total population of somewhere around 10 people. Centralia was formed in 1866 after millions of tons of coal were discovered under the area it would inhabit. It was a boon for Pennsylvania and the people who lived there and would move there to work in the mine and would be for the next 100 years.
In 1962 while trying to burn trash at the town landfill, the coal vein under the town caught fire and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. In spread all through the coal under the town and the next town over, the aptly-named Byrnesville, and both towns were abandoned with the exception of a handful of people. The fires still rage today and will continue to burn for at least the next 250 years.
The San Francisco 49ers can relate. Things were good a few years ago, booming even. The team made three consecutive trips to the NFC Championship game and even made it to the Super Bowl and seemed primed to be a factor in the NFL for a long time. Then something went wrong and a trash fire became a centuries-spanning blazing hellstorm. This team, once so promising, has been completely destroyed all in a calendar year.
A week ago, even a couple of days ago, the 49ers were working on a contract extension with troubled defensive end/outside linebacker Aldon Smith. As of yesterday, he was off the team. For this year’s 49ers it was just par for the course in an offseason that just gets worse every single day.
Aldon Smith reax:
1 Good for SF. Had enough.
2 Poor guy. Hope he gets needed help.
3 No good team has lost so much in one off-season.— Peter King (@peter_king) August 7, 2015
Aldon Smith was the Pro Football Writers of America rookie of the year in 2011, the linebacker of the year in 2011, a Pro Bowler, a first-team All-Pro and the NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 2012. He set the team’s rookie sack record with 14 and the team’s single-season sack record with 19.5. He was the fastest player in history to reach 30 sacks (he did in just 27 games) and set a then NFL record for sacks over two seasons with 33.5. He was 49ers’ team MVP in 2012.
Two and a half years later he’s not even on the team. After Smith was arrested Thursday night by the Santa Clara Police for DUI, committing a hit and run and vandalisms, the 49ers decided to cut bait and set Smith free to commit all the crimes he wants for another team.
From the PIO: SCPD arrested Aldon Smith last night for Hit&Run, DUI, and vandalism. A press release will be provided later this morning.
— Santa Clara Police (@SantaClaraPD) August 7, 2015
The reason, for anyone that even follows the NFL remotely, is that this is far from the first time Smith has gotten in trouble and, frankly, it’s not even the worst trouble he’s been in. In 2012 he was stabbed during a fight at a party where two other people were shot. It could have been worse than that considering that Smith, at the moment he was stabbed, had an illegal assault weapon on his person.
In 2014 Smith tried to get a one-way ticket to Guantanamo Bay by fighting a TSA agent at LAX and claiming he was carrying a bomb.
This was not his first DUI. This was not his first car crash while drunk. In fact, it was at least his third drunk driving arrest alone.
Smith, who could have one day been the best defensive player in 49ers history, now is not only looking for a job, but needs to find some help for his mental issues and substance abuse problems. It doesn’t matter how good he is. No team is going to sign him after this. Not until he spends a lengthy stay in rehab.
Touched base with few GMs – some have taken risks with players – and none seemed ready to pounce on Aldon Smith. NFL investigating incident
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) August 7, 2015
Say what you will about new 49ers coach Jim Tomsula, and trust that I have, he actually made a pretty good statement not only to Smith on his release, but to other people who might be fighting similar demons.
Tomsula, of course, is just one of the horrible decisions made by the team this offseason that saw it run off one of the best head coaches in the NFL, Jim Harbaugh, and the retirement of key players all over the roster. Those two things probably aren’t related at all.
The fire rages on.
#49ers once looked good drafting Aldon Smith instead of reaching for Blaine Gabbert to fill QB need. Now they have only Gabbert. Rough.
— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) August 7, 2015
