San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke spoke to the media Friday and assured those in attendence that team will not abandon Aldon Smith while he deals with several pressing legal issues.
The 49ers seem intent on standing by the talented linebacker.
“We’re a family,” Baalke said, via the Sacramento Bee‘s Matt Barrows. “You don’t just open a door and toss people out of it.”
“I think Aldon has made very good strides in a lot of aspects. He continues to work at it every day, just like I do, just like anybody else. You try to become a better person every day. … Sometimes you hit a speed bump. And you’ve got to learn. Repeat offenders, when it becomes repetitive, it certainly becomes a concern. But once again, you continue to work.”
Smith’s arrest almost two weeks ago for a “false report of a bomb threat” at LAX was his third since 2012. Baalke’s strong defense of Aldon Smith conflict with reports that suggested the 49ers were preparing to move on from the troubled linebacker.