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A judge on Friday sentenced 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith to 12 days in jail on weapons charges, though he also has the option to participate in a work-release program that would allow him to avoid jail altogether.
He's also been put on three years of probation where he can't own guns or ammo.
Either way, Smith and his father were happy with the judge's decision.
“Hopefully this will give him an opportunity to slow down. He was going so fast,” Thurston Smith told the San Jose Mercury News. “With his maturity level, he turns 25 in September, I pray he settles down and realizes people that love him and are in his corner, now more than ever.”
Aldon Smith also was sentenced to 235 hours of community service, which Thurston Smith thinks will be beneficial.
"I like community service because it gives him an opportunity to see other things he grew up seeing. That brings it back,” Thurston Smith said. “He loves community service and helping people. That’s a natural thing to do. It keeps him focused on other people rather than himself.
“God has blessed him with talent and I look forward to seeing him do bigger and better things off the field, beside what we saw on the field. This incident has made him stronger and wiser and I think it shook him up a little, as it should.”
Smith, of course, still faces potential discipline from the league, though it's unclear when he'll be suspended or for how long.
“I would like to thank my family, friends and supporters," Aldon Smith said in a statement. "I have learned a great deal and have worked very hard to become a stronger individual and better person. I look forward to continuing on this path.”
