Aldon Smith arrested in Kansas on suspicion of DUI

Former Missouri defensive end and first-round pick Aldon Smith was arrested on suspicion of DUI on Monday night in Mission, Kan. This is his fourth DUI-related arrest since 2012, in addition to a litany of other arrests since that 2012 arrest started the spiral of his career.

Smith hasn’t played in the NFL since the end of the 2015 season, and if it wasn’t already, his professional career is almost assuredly over.

It’s a far cry from the player who racked up 44 sacks in 50 games with the San Francisco 49ers to start his career. He had an incredible 33.5 sacks over his first two seasons, including 19.5 in 2012 in which he was a first-team All-Pro, a Pro Bowler and helped lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl.

I didn’t know this until the latest arrest, but recent Oakland first-round draft pick Clelin Ferrell apparently wears No. 99 “in honor” of Smith.

From ProFootballTalk.com:

“I wore the number because of him and because I feel like I could be the kind of player he should have been,” Ferrell said in an appearance on #PFTPM. “Aldon Smith was such a great player. I loved his game. But I learned so much from him as far as the different mistakes that he made. It’s sad to say that. I wish I could have learned from his success. A lot of the mistakes he made off the field is something that I definitely learned from and looked to to see like if I’m ever in that situation this is how I should handle it as to how he might have . . . When you get into the NFL it’s much more than just football.”

Here’s to hoping that Smith has finally hit the bottom he needs to get the help and support to at the very least save his life.

Yesterday at Rock M

• What can Axel Okongo offer Missouri basketball?
• How Axel Okongo fits into the Mizzou basketball roster

More Links:

• Dave Matter also takes a look at Missouri’s addition of Axel Okongo, who officially signed with the Tigers on Tuesday.
• Peter Baugh reports that Chris Cornelius has indeed signed his contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. The former Missouri shortstop will forego his final year with the Tigers to begin his pro career after the Phillies drafted him in the 16th round last week.
• Good stuff here from Brandon Kiley on his True Son Podcast. Kiley spoke with athletic director Jim Sterk, who came in pretty heavy on the NCAA sanctions, amongst other topics.
• PowerMizzou.com’s “Why They Coach” series moves on with head cross country coach Marc Burns.
• This isn’t “timely” but this came across my Twitter feed on Tuesday: Looking back at how the St. Louis Cardinals signed a promising quarterback away from Missouri — Mike Shannon.