Raiders cornerback Sean Smith is facing an assault charge in Southern California for an incident that allegedly took place in the early morning hours of July 4.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday that Smith has been charged with one felony count of assault and one felony count of battery with serious bodily injury after he allegedly assaulted his sister's boyfriend.
According to prosecutors, Smith allegedly "beat and then stomped on the victim's head" after an incident in Pasadena, CA. A warrant was filed for his arrest on Wednesday. Smith and the Raiders are scheduled to host the Rams in a preseason game on Saturday.
Smith's attorney released a statement Thursday:
Daniel Rosenberg, Sean Smith's attorney: Sean has maintained his innocence. We are going to enter a plea of not guilty & fight these charges
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 18, 2017
The Raiders have yet to comment on the situation.
Smith's first court date is scheduled for Sept. 29, and he could face up to seven years in prison if he's convicted of the two felonies.
The 30-year-old cornerback, who signed a four-year, $40 million deal with the Raiders in March 2016, started a total of 15 games for Oakland last season. However, Smith didn't exactly have a lock on his starting spot when the Raiders reported for training camp in July.
Although he kept his starting job in 2016, the corner struggled for most of the year, and he's already on the verge of losing his job. According to NFL.com, Smith was likely going to be replaced in by T.J. Carrie in the Raiders' starting lineup.
