Days after the Cincinnati Bengals were eliminated from the 2012 NFL playoffs, Bengals offensive tackle Andre Smith was arrested for allegedly bringing a handgun to an Atlanta airport. A source told the Cincinnati Enquirer that day that Smith didn't have knowledge of a weapon being in his belongings, somewhat confident that this would be resolved in time. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis later brushed off the incident with a muttering of "dumb situation".
"He's a smart guy that got involved in a dumb situation that caused him an embarrassment for a moment."
That's all it was. Because according to Andre Smith, the situation has been resolved.
Great relief and excitement of the resolve of my issue in January. Moving Ahead Fast Forward. I am grateful.....
— Andre Smith(@BigSmitty71) April 19, 2013
It was believed that the arrest could impact his free agency status, but ultimately it became a non-factor as teams expressed more worry about Smith's response to a significant contract, wondering if the questionable work ethic concerns would return from 2009 and 2010.
Smith is currently an unrestricted free agent, unhappy about Cincinnati's offer that's on the table but facing the reality that no one else is interested. Lewis told reporters on Friday that he'd like to get Smith signed before the 2013 NFL draft next Thursday.