NFL rejects reinstatement bid for Raiders defender

NFL rejects reinstatement bid for Raiders defender

NEW YORK - Oakland Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith was rejected in his bid for reinstatement after a year-long NFL suspension for multiple substance-abuse violations, the league announced Friday.

Aldon Smith of the Oakland Raiders, pictured in 2015, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run, drunken driving and vandalism charges

Smith, 27, has been suspended for the past 22 games, and Sunday's regular-season Raiders finale against the Denver Broncos will add to that string.

Smith, whose suspension was due to end November 17, had sought reinstatement in October. The league will not reconsider his case until March, well after the Raiders are done with their playoff run even if they reach the Super Bowl next February.

The rejection comes three weeks after Smith met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to make his case.

Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said he was disappointed Smith will not be reinstated as the Raiders (12-3) return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season.

"From everything that I've gathered, he has done his duty to take care of all the things he needs to take care of," Del Rio said.

"I see some of the guys that have been allowed back. My question is, 'What's the difference?' It's always a question mark. If a guy has a chance, he should have a chance to make a living. I don't really agree with what has gone down, but it's not my job. We'll move on as a team. That's what we have to do, but I'm a little disappointed."

Smith played in nine games for Oakland last season and made 28 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks before his suspension.

In September 2015, Smith pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run, drunken driving and vandalism charges stemming from an incident the previous month.

Smith, picked seventh in the 2011 NFL Draft, spent his first four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, making 44 sacks in 50 games but was also arrested four times. The 49ers released Smith in August 2015 after his DUI and hit-and-run arrest.

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