49ers lose Aldon Smith for 9 games

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ESPN.com news services

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith has been suspended for the first nine games of the season for violating the NFL's personal-conduct and substance-abuse policies.

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Smith will be eligible to return to the 49ers' active roster on Nov. 10 following the team's Nov. 9 game against New Orleans.

'Our organization has known this decision would come and we have prepared for it as a team,' 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement Friday. 'Aldon has taken responsibility for his actions and has continued to show growth personally and professionally. We will continue to support him, but it is time to put this matter behind us and focus on the season ahead.'

Based on the length of the suspension, Smith will $1.24 million of his $2.34 million salary, ESPN business analyst Andrew Brandt reports.

Smith, who met with commissioner Roger Goodell on Aug. 8, was sentenced in July to 11 days of work release in a Santa Clara County (Calif.) court after his September 2013 arrest for drunken driving. It was his second such arrest since entering the NFL in 2011. Also, Smith had three felony gun charges knocked down to misdemeanors.

Smith voluntarily missed five games last season when he entered a substance-abuse treatment center. In October, in London, Goodell told reporters Smith's aggressive approach to his problem could be considered when potential discipline was addressed.

In April, Smith was arrested on an alleged fake bomb threat, but the Los Angeles City Attorney's office declined to press charges. Smith, the No. 7 overall draft pick in 2011, has 42 sacks in 43 regular-season games.

Information from ESPN.com Raiders reporter Bill Williamson was used in this report.