Will Smith was shot to death last night in a road rage incident in the Garden District of New Orleans. No words can describe how sad, tragic, senseless and horrible this is. To think about his three kids and wounded wife when something like this happens makes it especially haunting.
Simply put, Smith was the man. Great player, great guy, loved by teammates, great leader, very involved in the community. When the Saints drafted him I remember fans were not pleased because Charles Grant and Darren Howard were already on the roster and defensive end wasn’t a position of need. Immediately as a rookie, though, it was clear how solid of a pick that was. He made the Pro Bowl once in 2006, finishing with 10.5 sacks, but his best season was 2009 when he had 13 sacks for the Super Bowl Champion team. He finished his career with 67.5 sacks which is 4th all time in Saints history ahead of greats like Joe Johnson and La’Roi Glover. I ranked Smith as 19th on my list of top 101 all time Saints back in 2014. He was not a devastating speed pass rusher end but similar to Cam Jordan he was an all around player that did everything well and could be on the field on any down or situation.
He did so much for the community. He and his wife Racquel were very involved in New Orleans and did so much to help the city. For a member of the same community to ultimately be responsible in taking his life makes this hardest to stomach. May he rest in peace. Please pray for his family.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
