NEW ORLEANS — At 10:45 p.m. Saturday, former New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister texted with Pierre Thomas, a former teammate. Thomas said he and a group of friends including another ex-Saint and close friend, Will Smith, were headed downtown after a meal of tuna sashimi and kumamoto oysters at Smith’s favorite sushi spot. McAllister, who had taken his kids to the Suns-Pelicans NBA game, had tucked them into bed and settled on the couch. He decided against meeting the group, and now McAllister can’t escape the notion he could have peeled himself off the couch and somehow tilted the cosmos.
Will the death of a hero fix New Orleans?
