San Francisco 49ers player Aldon Smith was suspended for 9 games by the NFL today, but the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit has been on the story from the beginning. Chief investigative reporter Tony Kovaleski filed an exclusive report on a civil lawsuit last September on Smith's violent 2012 house party.
A month later, the Santa Clara County DA's office filed weapons charges against Smith. And in November, the Investigative Unit exposed details of Smith receiving preferential treatment during his DUI arrest.
Today's sentencing closes a door on the criminal charges, but questions remain about the special treatment some say Sherrif Laurie Smith gave the star 49er after his DUI. [[321072801, C]]
