The death of former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Will Smith rocked not just the NFL world, but people all across the country sick and tired of nightly news story after nightly news story recounting such senseless tragedies. That Smith carried such a high-profile only heightened people's awareness of this particular tragedy, though his manner of death - allegedly gunned down in the street following a traffic accident - wasn't altogether unheard of, especially in a city like New Orleans where Smith's murder is just one of 32 homicides that have already occured in 2016.
The good news is that Smith's death does not have to be without meaning, and the outpouring of support for his family and the cries for greater control, gun or otherwise, that emerged in the wake of his untimely death were both inspiring and sorely-needed.
But not everyone saw Smith's death as a call to action.
Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu was clearly gutted by the incident, taking to twitter in the hours following the announcement of the apprehension of Smith's alleged killer to voice his frustrations with a broken system that allowed a "coward" like that, a man Mathieu said he knows personally, to roam the streets of New Orleans with the gun that could, and apparently would, end a life.
The response, per Mathieu, from those close to the man he dubbed a "coward," was swift and severe.
"I think it was one of those situations where he was really at the wrong place at the wrong time, and he bumped into the wrong person," Mathieu said. "I know the guy personally and, Rich, it's not really for me to put his personal business on air. Because when I came out yesterday and called him a coward, I received death threats from guys in New Orleans -- from his relatives. And I'm thinking to myself ... 'What do you guys want from me? I'm only here to speak the truth.'"
Mathieu, who grew up in New Orleans before attending college at LSU, believes that there's a fundamental issue deeply rooted within the fabric of the city.
"It's really about who we surround ourselves with," Mathieu said. "Like I said, most of these kids, they surround themselves around the wrong people. They grow up and they form these bad habits. For me, it's about reaching out to them, getting them to understand that, formulating a legit plan, an honest plan for these kids, and a strategic one so that we don't lose them in the process. Because these kids are our future."
That last part may sound like a cheesy line, but Mathieu's right. Changing the world starts with changing minds. And while it seems an insurmountable task to convince generations of New Orleans natives that fewer guns, better education and funds allocated to the New Orleans Police Department is the answer, the death of Smith and the words of men like Mathieu and Saints head coach Sean Payton could be the first steps to greater, more effective change.
