SANTA CLARA, Calif. - San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith has been suspended for nine games by the NFL after a series of off-field legal issues.
A statement Friday from the league said Smith, the former Missouri Tiger, had violated the NFL's substance abuse and personal conduct policies.
Smith won't be eligible to return until Nov. 10, the day after the 49ers' game against the New Orleans Saints.
The 24-year-old Smith, one of the NFL's top pass rushers, missed five games last season to undergo treatment at an in-patient facility following his DUI arrest Sept. 20.
Just before training camp began last month, the 24-year-old Smith was sentenced to serve three years of probation and to spend 11 days with a work crew after he pleaded no contest to drunken driving and weapons charges.