Miami mourning death of former Saints player Smith
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Will Smith played against Miami in the national championship game that ended the 2002 college football season, helping Ohio State win the Fiesta Bowl and deny the Hurricanes backto-back titles.
Nonetheless, Miami is mourning him as one of its own. The former Saints standout, who was shot to death Saturday in New Orleans, was on track to graduate from Miami this summer with a master’s degree through the Executive MBA for Artists and Athletes program.
Cardell Hayes, 28, was ordered held on $1 million bond Sunday night after police arrested him on a charge of second-degree murder in Smith’s death.
Smith had been on Miami’s campus several times over the course of the program, which incorporates distance-learning elements. The university said it would hold a memorial service for Smith in June, when the program is next scheduled to convene for on-campus meetings.
Developments
Study finds head trauma: A study of the brains of 40 retired NFL players found evidence that damage and impairment is widespread in those who have played the game professionally.
The study is small, but nonetheless one of the largest to examine the brains of former football players while they’re alive. The research, to be presented today at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, looked at the retired players, most off the field for less than five years, with an average age of 36.
Researchers from Florida State University’s School of Medicine found that 43 percent, or 17 former players, had structural abnormalities in connective tissue that is considered reliable evidence of traumatic brain injury.
And in tests of cognitive performance, roughly half of the former players showed significant problems of executive function — a global measure of a person’s ability to maintain attention, plan and organize. Specifically, 45 percent had problems with learning and memory, 42 percent had problems with attention and concentration, and 24 percent had problems with spatial and perceptual function.
Titans claim LB: The Titans used their top waiver priority to address an area of need, claiming former Packers inside linebacker Nate Palmer on Monday.
Palmer, 26, started 10 games last season and appeared in all 16, finishing with 68 tackles and a sack. He was supplanted by Jake Ryan late in the season and waived Friday.
Briefly: Kansas City defensive end Mike DeVito, 31, announced his retirement on Twitter. He spent his first six seasons with the New York Jets and joined the Chiefs for the last three seasons . ... Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis signed a one-year contract extension through the 2017 season, the third straight year he’s gotten extra time on his deal after losing in the playoffs . ... The Minnesota Vikings re-signed linebacker Chad Greenway, bringing the two-time Pro Bowl pick back for an 11th and likely final season . ... The New York Giants kicked off their offseason conditioning program by adding free agent running back Bobby Rainey, linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, and offensive tackle Byron Stingily.