New Orleans
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.
“I am telling you that this man loved the city of New Orleans,” said Terrell Haynes, who got to know Smith and his wife, Racquel, through their work with Kingsley House, an organization helping underprivileged families and kids. “That’s the part that is really disheartening, that this man loved this city.”
Police said Cardell Hayes, a former semi-pro football player, rear-ended Smith’s Mercedes G63 with his Humvee H2, pushing Smith’s big, blocky SUV into a Chevrolet Impala carrying Smith’s acquaintances, before Hayes opened fire.
A defense attorney for Hayes, John Fuller, said there’s more to the story: He said Hayes himself had been rear-ended moments earlier by a hit-and-run driver, and called 911 to describe the car he was following before he ran into the back of Smith’s Mercedes. It remains unclear whether the car he was pursuing was the Mercedes, the Impala or some other unrelated car.
The two men — both big and imposing — then angrily confronted each other on Felicity Street shortly before midnight. Moments later, witnesses heard gunfire. Smith was killed by bullets to the back and torso. His wife was wounded in the leg.
Hayes, 28, was being held on $1 million bond after police arrested him on a charge of second-degree murder. He was in court Monday as arrangements were made for a new lawyer to eventually replace Fuller, who will soon begin work as a temporary judge. Prosecutors now have 60 days to decide how to proceed.
Clevland
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because results of NFL drug tests are not made public, said Gordon didn’t have a positive substance abuse test. But a sample collected in March showed Gordon had traces of marijuana and a diluting substance in his system. The level of marijuana was less than the minimum required by the NFL for a positive test.
Still, the test for Gordon, suspended for all of 2015 for testing positive for alcohol, raised concerns because, the person says, “in the state he is in (within the NFL drug program), anything above a certain amount, even if it is below the threshold, raises a red flag.”
Fox Sports first reported the story.
Cincinnati
The sides agreed to an extension last Friday. He also got one-year extensions after the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Lewis has coached the Bengals for the last 13 seasons, a club record. He’s 112-94-2 in the regular season and 0-7 in the playoffs, an NFL mark for postseason futility for a coach. The Bengals have lost their opening playoff game each of the last five seasons, also a record.
The Bengals lost their cool and blew a last-minute lead against the Steelers in the playoffs in January.
Kansas City, Mo.
DeVito, 31, announced his retirement Monday on Twitter, saying it was his wife, Jessie, who was most influential in his decision. The couple is expecting a second child.
DeVito says: “I have people here that will expect me to be here and be a father and be a husband and a leader of my family.”
Known for his leadership in the locker room and his versatility — he played three positions on the line in 2012 — DeVito spent his first six seasons with the New York Jets, twice going to the playoffs. He then joined the Chiefs for the last three seasons, but appeared in only one game in 2014 after tearing his Achilles tendon.
DeVito had a career-high three sacks last season as the Chiefs rallied from 1-5 to make the playoffs.
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