As Aldon Smith serves his year-long NFL suspension, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio remains perturbed by the league rules that prohibit him from having contact with the oft-troubled 26-year-old.
“It’s unfortunate that that is the case,” Del Rio told reporters Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., “because I think a lot of times these young men could use some of that mentoring role from coaches. It’s not always about football, sometimes we’re just helping men be good men. I think having that support system could be beneficial.”
Smith was suspended Nov. 17 for an entire calendar year following a DUI arrest on Aug.