Aldon Smith’s meeting with Mike McCarthy at gym led him to Dallas

[Rowdy]

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When the Cowboys agreed to terms with Aldon Smith, it seemed like a Jerry Jones move. The Cowboys owner has given second chances to several talented players.

The Cowboys have had mixed results with the likes of Pacman Jones, David Irving, Dimitrius Underwood, Greg Hardy, Alonzo Spellman, Rolando McClain and Tank Johnson.

But Smith picked the Cowboys because of a recent friendship he established with coach Mike McCarthy.

Smith, who hasn’t played since 2015, began working on a return with Merging Veterans and Players Program at Jay Glazer’s Unbreakable gym. The past 10 months the defensive end has trained with military members back from Afghanistan or Iraq and participated in open therapy sessions.

Many of the veterans in the program are dealing with depression, alcohol and/or substance abuse issues like Smith.

McCarthy worked out at the gym in January, while visiting his daughter, an aspiring actress, and he formed an instant bond with Smith.

McCarthy and Smith want to start a similar chapter in Dallas.

“That’s their focus once he gets reinstated and we get the season rolling,” Smith’s agent, Ron Slavin, said on 103.3 ESPN Radio, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Yeah, they would like to open a chapter here in Dallas.”

McCarthy is sold on Glazer’s MVP program, according to Slavin.

“McCarthy wrote a $100,000 check to Jay when he started it out in Los Angeles,” Slavin said. “So he is a big donor. He contributes a lot. He visits guys out there. He is a big believer in the program.”