upport the SEC rule of not granting guys releases to go to other SEC schools. It has been our policy here not to do that unless there was a special circumstance.On Wednesday, ho

NEW ORLEANS -- One car rear-ends another on a Saturday night. People argue. It escalates.Ten or so gunshots later, one driver is dead and the other waits nervously to give his side of the story to police.Conflicts settled by gunfire are tragically common in New Orleans but there was nothing routine about this one: the dead man was retired football player Will Smith, a star on the 2006 Saints team that help lift the stricken citys spirits with a winning season after Hurricane Katrina, and on the team that won the franchises only Super Bowl three seasons later.The accused is a 29-year-old former semiprofessional football player named Cardell Hayes. The owner of a tow-truck company and the father of a 5-year-old son, Hayes is described by friends as soft-spoken, even-tempered -- hardly the type to erupt into a lethal road rage. His attorney has been laying the groundwork for a self-defense argument ahead of a trial that opens Monday, but he may face an added burden in Smiths local popularity and national renown.Will Smith obviously was a beloved member of the New Orleans community, Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino said in a recent interview. And thats going to make the defense of this case all the more difficult.Smiths shooting death is strangely similar to that of Joe McKnight, another former NFL player who was shot and killed just last Thursday in a New Orleans suburb after a road rage incident on a nearby bridge spiraled out of control. The man authorities identified as the shooter in that case -- Ronald Gasser -- has been released from custody with no charges as the investigation continues.Hayes has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in Smiths death. Conviction carries a mandatory life sentence. Hes also charged with attempted second-degree murder in the wounding of Smiths wife, who was shot in the legs. Hes been jailed since the April shooting, unable to make the $1.75 million bond.Snippets of surveillance video from near the scene, police statements plus testimony from pre-trial hearings paint this picture of what happened on April 9:Smith, his wife and two friends left a restaurant in New Orleans Lower Garden District and were heading downtown on Magazine Street. At one point Smiths SUV appeared to bump the rear of a Hummer that had come to a stop on the street.Rather than stop, Smith swerved his SUV around the Hummer and continued downtown. Moments later, the Hummer hit Smiths SUV from behind, shattering the rear window and pushing it into the rear of another car -- in which more friends of Smith were riding.Who the aggressors were in the ensuing conflict will be at issue in the trial. Hayes acknowledged to at least one police officer that he was armed when he got out of his vehicle. He said he was accosted by an unarmed Smith and others, and that Smith struck him, although police said there were no obvious signs of injury.The first officer to approach the scene after the crash was an off-duty rookie who had been at a nearby bar. Christopher McGaw has testified that he approached the scene as the argument grew more heated, ducked for cover when gunshots rang out, then approached again, finding Smith slumped across the front seat of his car, one hand extended toward the glove box.What was I supposed to do? Hayes is heard asking McGaw, on a recording of a 911 call McGaw had placed at the scene.Why Smith drove away from the scene of the first, apparently minor accident; whether Hayes intentionally rammed Smiths vehicle moments later; whether Smith was reaching for a gun when he was shot to death -- all are issues that will likely be addressed at trial.On the side of the defense is a toxicology report showing that Smith was legally drunk at the time of his death. Other factors Ciolino cited: The fact that Will Smith was, by some reports, so loud and belligerent; the fact that the forensic evidence, arguably could support that Will Smith was reaching for a gun.Smith had returned to his SUV when he was shot and police said there was a loaded gun in the vehicle. That might help the defense argument that Hayes shot in self-defense, Ciolino said. But its an argument that could be blunted by the fact that Smith was shot eight times -- seven in the back, one in the side -- Ciolino added.Prosecutors also have made much of the fact that Hayess Hummer had hit Smiths SUV from behind so hard that the rear window shattered.Another odd twist in the case: A friend of Smiths who wound up at the scene the night of the shooting is William Ceravolo, a retired New Orleans police officer who had dined with the Smiths before the accident. Ceravolo was among six officers sued by Hayes after police killed his father, Anthony Hayes, in December 2005. Police settled the lawsuit in 2011, and terms were confidential.Adidas Originals Stan Smith Nz . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Cheap Stan Smith Nz . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. http://www.clearancestansmithnz.com/ . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Adidas Stan Smith Mens Nz . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Adidas Stan Smith Sale Nz .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play.Former Alabama?cornerback Maurice Smiths transfer saga is over. Hell be allowed to transfer to Georgia, the SEC announced Friday.The SEC granted a conditional waiver for Smith to transfer to Georgia for the 2016 season after a battle with his former team that lasted nearly two months.SEC bylaws typically require that a graduate transfer have two years of eligibility to transfer to an SEC school and also require a player transferring from one SEC school to another to sit out a year.?Neither will be the case for Smith, who has one year of eligibility remaining and will be allowed to join the Bulldogs immediately.SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Smith earned the exceptions by graduating from Alabama in three years.The standard for granting waivers has been clear and compelling evidence that there is reason for allowing an exception to SEC rules, Sankey said in a statement. I found, among other contributing factors, that a student-athlete who graduates in three years and exhibits a strong commitment to his or her academic future provides compelling motivation to help them achieve their goals on and off the field.Sankey also said Smith has clearly and passionately stated his desire for a graduate degree in Public Health.Smith had asked Alabama in June for permission to contact other schools with intentions to transfer.Smith wanted to follow new Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, his former defensive coordinator at Alabama. When Smith originally met with Alabama coach Nick Saban in June rregarding the matter, Saban told Smith that he would not release him to an SEC school, according to a letter Smith wrote to the Alabama appeals committee and obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.ddddddddddddSmith later claimed that his locker was cleared out, all his personal belongings were thrown in the trash and he wasnt allowed to enter the Tides football facilities.Saban said on Aug. 4 that we support the SEC rule of not granting guys releases to go to other SEC schools. It has been our policy here not to do that unless there was a special circumstance.On Wednesday, however, Saban changed that stance and granted Smith a full, unconditional release -- leaving the decision in the hands of the SEC.Smart thanked the SEC for granting the waiver, which will allow Maurice Smith to pursue his dreams at the University of Georgia as a graduate transfer.This has been a difficult situation to navigate, and we are grateful to all who have been involved in bringing it to a resolution, Smart said in a statement released by Georgia on Friday night. Now that it is behind us, we are all anxious to move forward.Smith recorded 15 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble and had one fumble recovery in 15 games as the nickelback for the Crimson Tide. He ended spring football in Alabamas starting secondary rotation.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '