At one time, Aldon Smith appeared to be on the verge of becoming the next great defensive lineman. However, as of Monday, Smith is no longer on an NFL roster. Due to his latest run-in with the law, the Oakland Raiders decided to let him go.

In response to a Pro Football Talk tweet reporting Smith’s release, former Raiders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio made an interesting comment.

https://twitter.com/coachdelrio/status/970764726895632386

Del Rio didn’t go into detail as to what he meant. But he is likely referring to the league’s policy when it comes to teams having contact with suspended players. Basically, that teams can’t have any contact with suspended players. Essentially, what the NFL does is tell a player who made enough bad decisions on his own to earn a suspension that he is entirely on his own.

Smith was suspended last November for one year for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. As part of the policy, he hasn’t been allowed in or around the Raiders facility and could not have any contact with coaches or personnel.

So rather than give a troubled young player some form of structure to help keep him on track, they ultimately left him to his own devices. Would some form of structure have made a difference for Smith? Who knows, but it might be a better policy for the NFL to help guys more than punish them.

His most recent run-in with the law that led to his release was a domestic violence incident on March 3. The police were called to his home that day, but he fled before they arrived. But he turned himself in on Tuesday, paid a $30,000 bond, and has been released.

More than likely, we’ve seen the end of Aldon Smith in the NFL.