Tragic loss
Arrest made; road rage cited
Former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith was shot and killed in an apparent case of road rage Saturday. Smith was a key player in the Saints’ Super Bowl run.
NEW ORLEANS — Former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith was shot and killed in a case of road rage by a man who had rear-ended his car, police said Sunday.
Smith was beloved by fans for his role in bringing a Super Bowl championship to New Orleans in 2009, though the defensive captain also found himself at the center of the NFL’s bounty probe in 2012.
There was no indication Smith, 34, knew 28-yearold Cordell Hayes before the confrontation, or that anything except the car wreck led to the shooting. Hayes waited for police to arrive and was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder. Police Superintendent Michael Harrison would not say whether Hayes claimed self-defense, citing the ongoing investigation.
Harrison said the former defensive end had dined just hours before the Saturday night crash with a police officer who had once been sued by Hayes, whose father was shot and killed by police in 2005. However, it was not clear if that played any role in the confrontation.
Hayes’ Humvee H2 rearended Smith’s Mercedes G63 about 11:30 p.m. Saturday in the upscale Lower Garden District, pushing it into a Chevrolet Impala driven by two of Smith’s acquaintances. The two argued, and Hayes shot Smith and Smith’s wife, Racquel, police said. She was wounded in the leg and taken to a hospital.
The Smith family said in a statement that they were thankful for the outpouring of support but requested privacy as the family grieves for a “devoted husband, father and friend.” Will and Racquel Smith have three children.
Online court records show Hayes pleaded guilty in 2014 to one count each of possessing an illegal weapon and possessing drug paraphernalia.
He sued the New Orleans Police Department and six officers after police killed his father in 2005. Police settled the lawsuit in 2011. The settlement is confidential, said attorney Ike Spears, who represented Hayes in that suit.
Smith, a native of Queens, New York, played for Ohio State’s 2002 national championship team and graduated in 2005 with a degree in criminology.
Smith was a first-round draft choice by New Orleans in 2004. He led the Saints with a career-high 13 sacks in 2009, when the club won its only Super Bowl, and Smith’s 67 career sacks rank fourth in Saints history. He last played in an NFL regularseason game in 2012.
DEVELOPMENT
Clady trade finalized: The New York Jets announced Sunday that they agreed to terms with the Denver Broncos to acquire left tackle Ryan Clady to replace the retired D’Brickashaw Ferguson.
New York sent a fifthround pick in this year’s draft to Denver for Clady and a seventh-rounder.
Clady also agreed to a restructured deal with the Jets, a person familiar with the contract told The Associated Press. He was due $9.5 million in 2016 and $10 million in 2017. But he received a one-year contract from the Jets that’s worth $6 million in base salary, with $3 million of that guaranteed, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The person said the deal also includes an additional option year for a minimum of $10 million that could increase to $13 million based on playing-time incentives, and includes a $2.5 million bonus if Clady remains on the roster next February.