Ticking Time Bomb

For some unexplained reason, San Francisco linebacker Aldon Smith's reaction to being selected for random screening at an airport was to claim he had a bomb, another weird incident in yet another offseason of trouble for the NFL.

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By Daniel Soden

This has been a great few weeks for the 49ers, first the allegations about sexual misconduct surrounding both quarterback Colin Kaepernick and receiver Quinton Patton and now this "bombshell."

TMZ first reported that 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith had been detained at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday after yelling the word “bomb” in the airport following an incident with security.

Allegedly Smith was randomly selected for a secondary screening to which he was less than pleased to participate in. Cops say Smith became “belligerent and uncooperative with the process and with the TSA agents.”

It was reported that Smith then started to claim he was in possession of a bomb before heading toward the gate. Smith was even more annoyed when police showed up following the incident.

Reports suggest that Smith was even less cooperative with police while they detained him, claiming he did nothing wrong and that he was going to embarrass them.

Smith was booked for false report of a bomb threat, which could translate to up to a year in prison if found guilty. He was released from jail after posting a $20,000 bond Sunday night. An L.A. Police spokesman also noted in a statement that it was observed that Smith had been drinking prior to the incident, but claim it was a non-factor in his arrest.

While it may have been a non-factor in his arrest, Smith previously missed five games last season while undergoing substance-abuse treatment following a DUI arrest, so it could be a factor in the NFL and 49ers' eyes.

So far all the 49ers have released was this short but to the point statement:

“We are disappointed to learn of the incident today involving Aldon Smith.”

“As this is a pending legal matter and we are still gathering the pertinent facts, we will have no further comment.”