Missouri defensive lineman Kony Ealy knows 49ers defensive end Aldon Smith well -- too well to sit quietly while his former Tigers teammate is criticized for a recent DUI arrest. The two were teammates for one season at Missouri in 2010, Ealy's first year in the program as a redshirt.
"It's hard to see him just get ridiculed like that from outside media," Ealy said, according to columbiamissourian.com. "People that don't know him just judge him. You don't know what actually happened. Anything could have happened. It's kind of hard because he is a brother to me. The only reason everybody's mad at him or saying negative things about him is because of what the media is putting out there and everybody goes with the media."
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Smith was arrested Friday on suspicion on DUI and marijuana possession, later saying "this is a problem and it's something that I will get fixed, and that I'll do everything in my power to make sure that this never happens again."
Now, Smith is out indefinitely and will at least miss Thursday's game against the St. Louis Rams while he seeks treatment, according to the team. Ealy, one of Missouri's top NFL draft prospects, spoke less about whether Smith has a problem with alcohol and more about unwarranted assumptions that he does.
"It's probably just a misunderstanding. I talked to Aldon a couple times. It's not affecting his game at all. When he goes out there and makes sacks, when he goes out there and makes TFLs (tackles for loss), everybody's still going to love him.
"Everybody sees you as this guy on a pedestal, but really, you're kind of like a victim. Because everybody idolizes you and, one false move, and no matter if it's your fault or not, it's still your fault. Aldon's a strong guy. He's gonna bounce back. He's doing whatever they're making him do. He's got to be more careful; he's got to be more leery of where he's at. ... My heart goes out to him. He knows I'm behind him 110 percent. I know when he gets back to football, everything else will be erased."
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.