The man who killed former Ohio State defensive end Will Smith was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday.
Cardell Hayes, who was convicted of manslaughter for Smith’s killing for the second time in January, received a 25-year prison Thursday in a New Orleans courtroom.
Hayes was originally convicted of manslaughter in December 2016, but the conviction was voided when the Supreme Court outlawed nonunanimous verdicts. He was released on bond in March 2021 after serving more than four years of a 25-year sentence.
Hayes was taken back into custody on Jan. 27 after he was unanimously convicted of manslaughter for the second time.
Smith was killed on April 9, 2016, when he was shot eight times during a confrontation with Hayes after a traffic incident in which Hayes rear-ended Smith. Hayes’ defense argued that he shot Smith in self-defense. Per the Associated Press, evidence showed Smith was intoxicated at the time of the confrontation, but there was no evidence to back up Hayes’ claim that Smith wielded or fired a weapon.
Smith, who was just 34 years old at the time of his death, was one of Ohio State’s all-time great defensive ends. A key defensive leader on Ohio State’s 2002 national championship team, Smith was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-American in 2003.
Smith was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft and went on to play 10 seasons with the Saints, helping them win their first-ever Super Bowl in 2010.
Smith’s son, Will Smith Jr., is a redshirt freshman defensive tackle for the Buckeyes.
