Image via USA Today Sports
A report from Adam Schefter this morning pointed out something truly unprecedented in the history of professional sports: the San Francisco 49ers’ Aldon Smith will actually have to pay to play this season.
As @AdamSchefter reported, 49ers Aldon Smith might be the first NFL player to ever PAY to play. pic.twitter.com/zKkalOxjCH
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 9, 2014
Smith will complete serving his nine-game suspension (without pay) after today’s game, and will finally return to the 49ers for the rest of the season. His post-taxes salary this season will amount to $525,000, and the 49ers will keep all of that and then some.
Smith was forced to forfeit $1.18 million of his signing bonus due to his suspension, so he still owes his the organization $661,000 even after they keep his full 2014 salary.
Smith is clearly not happy about it, as after Schefter’s report came out, he sent the following tweet:
It's sad when people wrong you, then try to justify it with more BS!!!
— Aldon Smith (@AldonSmith) November 9, 2014
The Niners did pick up Smith’s contract option for 2015, so we are probably in for at least one more year of Aldon Smith off-field drama.
[via ESPN]
