The San Francisco 49ers announced the release of Aldon Smith Friday morning, with the announcement coming shortly before normal media availability. Player availability was pushed back to after practice, but Jim Tomsula did meet with the media. Jed York and Trent Baalke were not present, but Tomsula did a great job in detailing the situation.
Tomsula was asked about Smith's comments that this was not a DUI, and why not wait for more information to come out.Tomsula said, "From our perspective there are things he needs to to address things with 100 percent of everything he has."
You could tell the situation was tough on Tomsula. I would be skeptical of a lot of people's comments in such a situation, but Tomsula has always come across as a very up-front and honest person. He said it was a sad day, but that it has nothing to do with football. Tomsula said that Aldon Smith would no longer be playing football for the 49ers, but the team would support and help him. He repeatedly said, "He will not have to walk this path alone."
He got even more emotional in discussing the idea that people can learn from this.
"If one person out there reads this, and you're struggling, get help. Go get it. You're worth it. There's a value in every human being. Get the help. You don't have to walk alone."
I have no idea what Aldon Smith's future holds, but it really does seem like Jim Tomsula will be there if he needs him. Whether that gets him back on the football field or not remains to be seen, but Tomsula made it seem like even though the team has released him, they will be there to help him turn his life around. We'll see if anything comes of that.