Suspended Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith expects to be reinstated by the NFL in as soon as two weeks, he told The Associated Press on Thursday night while attending the Thunder-Warriors game in Oakland.
Smith, 27, "looked fit, strong and in great spirits," while sitting in a courtside baseline seat, according to The AP's report.
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"I'll be back in two weeks, you can ask me all the questions then," he said with a smile, expanding on an answer of "hopefully soon" when asked about the timing of his reinstatement.
He reportedly applied in late September for reinstatement.
It's unclear how long it would take Smith to be game-ready if and when he returns. The Raiders (6-2) are tied atop the AFC West with the Broncos midway through the season.
Smith — who has 47 1/2 sacks in 59 games, all but nine with the 49ers — signed last September with Oakland but was given a one-year suspension on Nov. 17 for violating the league's substance abuse policy for a second time.
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The 49ers had released him in August 2015 after he was arrested that month on charges of drunken driving, hit and run and vandalism, his fifth run-in with the law since he was the seventh pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
The incident last August led to his suspension in November.
