Former 49ers Pro Bowl LB Aldon Smith Reportedly Applying for NFL Reinstatement

Has any NFL player in recent memory crashed and burned harder or more quickly than Aldon Smith? Once a Pro Bowler with the San Francisco 49ers, the outside linebacker increasingly succumbed to legal issues and substance abuse, eventually earning a year-long NFL suspension that he's never recovered from. He last played football all the way back in 2015, but now, he's reportedly getting himself right with an eye toward redemption.

According to the NFL Network's Jim Trotter, the former 49er and Raider is once again seeking reinstatement to the league.

After a hit-and-run incident during the fall of 2015, Smith was slapped with an indefinite ban by the NFL, cutting short his first season in Oakland after nine games. He was not automatically reinstated even after a full year, however, and a subsequent attempt to rejoin the team in good standing was denied. He remained under contract with the Raiders until spring 2018, at which point he was finally released on an official basis as legal issued continued to rack up.

Now, at age 30, he's hoping that hope springs eternal.

It's easy to forget that Smith was the fastest NFL player ever to reach 30 sacks. He showed such tremendous promise, and though he still faces a tremendous uphill battle to return, news that he's clean and sober is already the kind of encouraging stuff supporters and skeptics alike will want to hear.