Former NFL player Will Smith killed in road rage shooting
Longtime New Orleans Saints standout Will Smith was shot and killed Saturday night when his car hit another vehicle in what police are calling a road rage incident, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune’s Katherine Terrell.
The coroner’s office has confirmed Smith’s death.
The incident occurred at 11:29 p.m. central time on Saturday in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans. Smith was with his wife, Racquel, who was shot in the leg and wounded but not fatally. They were married in 2008 and had three children.
The Smith family issued this statement:
“On behalf of the Smith family, we are thankful for the outpouring of support and prayers. We ask that you continue to respect the family’s privacy as they grieve the loss of a devoted husband, father and friend.”
According to ESPN, the 30-year-old driver of the other vehicle in the incident was in custody and being questioned. The handgun used in the shooting also had been recovered.
Smith, 34, spent the majority of his career with the Saints and his 67.5 sacks were fourth on the franchise’s all-time list. He won a Super Bowl with the Saints but also found his way into controversy a few times. He was suspended four games by the league in 2012 for his involvement in the Bountygate incident, although that suspension later was overturned. But he also missed two games via suspension (down from the four initially issued) for testing positive for a banned diuretic via an over-the-counter weight loss product called StarCaps.
Although Smith signed with the New England Patriots in 2014, he never played a game with them.
Grief has outpoured from all over the NFL, but especially from many of his former teammates.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
