Mister Smith Goes On Vacation

I suppose it really starts with this: If you can afford a good lawyer, you can probably keep yourself safe from a lot of life's little bumps and bruises. Having representation is key. The old saw about those who represent themselves have fools for clients does not touch on the possibility that a really good lawyer still allows fools to be their clients. This is especially true when it comes to those same fools and their money, and how they are easily parted and all. Really foolish people often find themselves separated from that money by really good lawyers. Their own lawyers.
I am guessing that this is true in the story of Aldon Smith, professional football player. Aldon is not the poster child for the NFL, unless trouble is what is being promoted. Back in September, he pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence, hit and run and vandalism charges stemming from a DUI arrest in August. If you've been keeping track of your calendar, this would be right about the time that football season was kicking into gear. Autumn, when the leaves begin to turn and a man's heart turns to fancy cars and driving them into shrubbery. The Bay Area's western franchise, the San Francisco Forty-Niners had enough of Mister Smith's hijinks, having already experienced two previous notifications form the local gendarmes that their star linebacker had been operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of whatever it was that made him feel like he could still do just that, so they let him go. Maybe it was hubris.
And why not? In spite of his third arrest, the team across the bay, known colloquially as "The Raiduhs," snapped him up. This was after he had completed two hundred thirty-five hours of community service for the dustup he had the year before, that saw him pleading no contest to weapons charges in addition to a stab wound he received at a little get-together he had at his house. If you were keeping track of strikes and chances, this would put him somewhere past the three or so that we normally associate with sports. The rules, it would seem, are different for our stars than they are for most of our average citizens. Jail time notwithstanding, how does this guy still have a job? 
Well, the National Football League has ruled that the latest violation of their substance rule by Aldon Smith will be his last for a while. A year. The league has suspended him for a year. He can't play football for a year. Poor choices will cost him millions of dollars. He gets paid a lot of money to sack the quarterback of opposing teams, something he won't be able to do when he is not playing football for a year.This also means he won't get paid for playing football. But, he says "I had lost my love for the game, and it led me to some poor choices, but I am thankful to the Raider organization for believing in me this season and will continue to better myself and grow from my experiences," Smith said. "I look forward to rejoining the team next year."
Next year? Why would anybody who had made this many "poor choices" be allowed to come back to any team? Because of his particular ability to pull grown men to the ground, he seems to continue to be employable. I would guess that any teacher brought up on weapons charges would probably need to find another line of work, no contest plea or not. Which brings us to the Dallas Cowboys and the strange case of Greg Hardy. Actually, in hindsight, it's not that strange at all. Mister Hardy continues to have a job with the Cowboys performing roughly the same acts on grown men wearing pads that he did to his ex-girlfriend. Jerry Jones, owner and king of the Dallas franchise, has continued to insist that their star defensive lineman is not a problem. Of course that was before he missed team meetings. You've got to be careful about that one. No lawyer is going to get back the fine you have to pay for that. Unless you're Tom Brady. 
Has hockey season started yet?