It’s been a rough offseason for the 49ers, who have had multiple players face legal issues. That means, as the team gets more than a month off between the end of minicamp and the start of training camp, coach Jim Harbaugh wants his players to be careful to stay out of trouble.
“Beware with whom you associate,” Harbaugh told his players, via Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. “Very important to know your surroundings. Friend or foe? There always seems to be a foe present.”
Is that message specifically for outside linebacker Aldon Smith, who will be sentenced on July 25 after he pleaded guilty to DUI and felony weapons charges? Not according to Smith, who says it was a message for the whole team.
“He was talking to everybody, because anybody can be in a situation,” Smith said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m going to enjoy my month.”
Smith will enjoy his month, but it may be hard for Harbaugh: For NFL coaches, this is a period when it’s hard to relax, even though it’s their only break during the year, because they have to worry about what kind of trouble their players may get into in the coming weeks. Harbaugh hopes that when training camp opens in late July, there have been no other legal issues with anyone on his roster.