ALAMEDA — The Raiders’ Aldon Smith was suspended for a year by the NFL on Tuesday stemming from his arrest in August on DUI, hit-and-run and vandalism charges.

The official announcement came hours after the story had broken in the form of a statement from the NFL:

“Aldon Smith of the Oakland Raiders has been notified that he is now suspended without pay for a minimum of one year for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. Under the terms of that policy, Smith will be eligible to apply for reinstatement no sooner than 60 days before the one-year anniversary of the suspension.”

Following the Raiders’ practice Tuesday, Smith spent several minutes talking with teammates individually, including quarterback Derek Carr, before leaving the building without comment.

The Raiders and Smith sent out statements Tuesday evening regarding the suspension.

“Aldon has been a positive addition to the Raiders. He remains prominently in our long term plans and we will continue to support this member of our family as he gets the help he needs,” the Raiders said in a statement.

The club also released a statement from Smith, who said, “First, I want to thank the Raiders, my teammates, the fans, our coaches and the owner for supporting me throughout all of this.

“I am taking the time to work on myself and become the man I need to be, my team and organization needs me to be and I know I can be.

“I had lost my love of the game and it led me to some poor choices, but I am thankful to the Raider organization for believing in me this season and will continue to better myself and grow from my experiences. I look forward to rejoining the team next year,”

Smith signed a one-year contract worth up to $8 million on Sept. 11, more than a month after his release from the 49ers, which means he will have to sign a new deal to continue his career with the Raiders.

Under terms of his contract, Smith will lose $323,529 per game while under suspension for the remainder of the season.

Smith’s suspension is a result of an Aug. 6 incident when he was arrested for hit-and-run and DUI. He was released by the 49ers after that arrest.

The most recent charges are just part of persistent legal troubles for a player who has been arrested or charged five times since 2012.

Smith could face as many as two and a half years behind bars if convicted on all charges, which include drunken driving with a prior conviction, refusal to submit to alcohol testing, hit-and-run with property damage and vandalism causing less than $400 worth of damage — in this case the other driver’s door.

After posting $26,000 bail, Smith walked out of jail and disputed the latest drunken-driving allegation, his third. Three hours later, the 49ers announced Smith’s four-year tenure had been terminated.

“Simple as this: Justice will be served and the truth will come out. There’s no DUI,” Smith told reporters outside San Jose’s main jail. “And I’m sorry for anybody I let down, and I’m sorry the way this whole thing … the situation that happened could have been handled differently.”

Smith had 3.5 sacks with the Raiders, including one Sunday against Minnesota.

Smith was suspended for the first nine games of the 2014 season for violation of the NFL’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies.

In September of 2013, Smith was arrested and charged with DUI after an automobile accident. He entered rehab voluntarily and missed five games that season.

Given Smith’s history and the fact that the NFL had not yet ruled on his most recent transgression, the suspension should not a be a big surprise.

Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie told the media on Oct. 27 the Raiders were pleased with how Smith had handled himself and hoped to sign him beyond this season.

“We just wanted to let him join the family and help him every kind of way we can,” McKenzie said. “That’s what we’re doing.”

Smith had spoken to the media only twice since signing with the Raiders, after the season opener against Cincinnati and again a few weeks later, under the condition that no questions be asked regarding his tenure with the 49ers.

Given that Smith missed training camp and appeared to be rounding into form of late, his loss is a significant one for a Raiders defense ranked 30th overall, 23rd against the rush and 31st against the pass.

The Raiders had been using Smith on the side opposite second-year end Khalil Mack and had varied their defensive schemes with his presence, utilizing some 3-4 alignments to go along with their standard 4-3.

Without Smith, Ray-Ray Armstrong could have a more prominent role to go along with starting middle linebacker Curtis Lofton and outside linebacker Malcolm Smith. Rookie Neiron Ball, who started Oct. 11 against Denver, was injured two weeks later and is currently out with a knee injury.