San Francisco 49ers' linebacker Aldon Smith appears to have been involved in an incident early Thursday morning outside a Mexican restaurant and bar in Columbia, Missouri.
Details were unclear at first, but Insider Matt Maiocco has confirmed the 49ers have been in contact with Smith, and a team spokesperson said there is "no substance to the rumors" that Smith was jumped.
Smith, who attended the University of Missouri until 2010, backed up his team's statement, denying being jumped in a tweet at 2:20 p.m. Thursday.
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Didn't get jumped_ stop asking Aldon Smith (@aldonsmithJETS) November 1, 2012
The rumors were first substantiated when Smith tweeted Thursday just before 1 p.m.:
Want to clear up rumors of me getting jumped, I'm ok and doing well! Como! I missed you. Go Tigers!! Aldon Smith (@aldonsmithJETS) November 1, 2012
The rumors started when Ashley Zavala, a sports reporter for NBC's local affiliate KOMU-TV tweeted the following Thursday morning at 8:15 a.m.:
Trouble finds Aldon Smith on bye week: the 49ers OLB was jumped last night near El Rancho restaurant in CoMo. I've been told that he's okay. Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) November 1, 2012
According to the sports editor of the University of Missouri newspaper, local police spokeswoman Latisha Stroer indicated that "officers were dispatched to address of El Rancho at 1:56 a.m. in reference to a 'disturbance,'" and that the disturbance "was between two black males."
The news is concerning considering Smith has been involved in multiple incidents over the past year. He was arrested and charged with a DUI in Miami Beach in late January, and he was suffered multiple stab wounds at a house party he hosted in July. He was also the passenger of a car that swerved off the road to avoid a deer and ended up on its side in September; Smith suffered a laceration above his right eye.
San Francisco 49ers
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Smith, 23, was drafted seventh overall by the 49ers in 2011. After setting a franchise record with 14 sacks his rookie season last year, Smith has 7.5 sacks through the first eight games of his sophomore campaign with San Francisco.