SEATTLE -- Aldon Smith's hopes of continuing his NFL comeback with the Seattle Seahawks are over.
The team is releasing the veteran defensive because of an off-the-field matter, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The decision is not football-related but rather the result of Smith violating the team's trust, according to a source.
The 31-year-old Smith has battled alcohol issues for much of his NFL career and run afoul of the law several times, including an arrest in April over an alleged second-degree battery charge in Louisiana. That incident occurred shortly after the Seahawks signed him to a minimum-salary deal with the hope that he could keep his personal life in order and continue his career revival, which began last season with the Dallas Cowboys after he missed the previous four seasons due to NFL suspensions.