NEW ORLEANS -- People across Louisiana were trying Monday to process the news that one of the Saints' much-loved players, former Ohio State defensive end Will Smith, was shot in the back Saturday night in what police called an act of deadly road-rage.
Smith, 34, arrived in New Orleans in 2004 as a No.1 draft pick and played with such passion and power that he quickly became a defensive captain. Off the field, he won hearts in his adopted city, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and rejuvenated when the Saints won the Superbowl in 2009.