NEW ORLEANS -- The man who fatally shot retired New Orleans Saints defensive leader Will Smith was convicted of manslaughter on Sunday night, ending a week-long trial in which the defendant insisted he only fired because the popular football star was drunk, violent and had grabbed a gun following a traffic crash on the night of April 9.Smith was part of the Saints team that lifted the stricken citys spirits in the years after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, helping carry the team to a winning season in 2006 and a Super Bowl win four years later. His death at the hands of Cardell Hayes, 29, was stunning, even for a city where residents are accustomed to reports of multiple gunfire deaths every week.Hayes faces a possible sentence of up to 40 years in prison at his sentencing on Feb. 17.Hayes defense lawyers said Smiths popularity led to a rush to judgment by police and prosecutors.I knew for a fact that I was going to get shot, Hayes told the jury after taking the stand in his own defense Saturday. He said he not only saw the gun but heard what he believes was a gunshot before he began firing.Hayes, however, was the only witness to say Smith armed himself that night. Prosecutors acknowledged that a loaded gun was found in Smiths car but said there was no evidence that it was ever fired or that Smith had grabbed it.A pathologist report showed Smith was legally drunk with a high blood-alcohol level that night, the end of a day in which he had spent time at the citys annual French Quarter Festival, a bar and two restaurants. He, his wife and two passengers were in his Mercedes SUV the night of the shooting. They were heading from New Orleans Lower Garden District toward downtown when a series of events led to the shooting, beginning with Smiths vehicle appearing to lightly bump Hayes Hummer -- although the prosecution raised doubts that the two vehicles actually touched.Hayes vehemently denied intentionally running into Smiths Mercedes SUV moments later -- he said he was trying to dial 911 and didnt realize how close he was getting to Smith as he tried to report the apparent hit-and-run.Hayes said he armed himself only after he and his own passenger were accosted by Smith and Richard Hernandez, a passenger in the Smiths Mercedes. Hernandez, he said, wildly stripped off his shirt and took something shiny from his pocket -- Hayes said he was afraid it was a knife.Smith didnt initially notice the gun, Hayes said. He said Smith, 34, threw a cup containing some type of alcohol at him and punched him repeatedly. At some point during the fast-unfolding melee, Hernandez alerted Smith to Hayes gun, Hayes said under questioning from defense lawyer John Fuller.Hayes testified that Smith addressed him with a racial epithet and then told him, ... you got your gun. Well Im going to get mine and Ill show you what to do with it.Hayes said Hernandez, a white Hispanic who fled the scene, also used racial epithets.However, race has not been raised as an alleged factor in the confrontation. Hayes and Kevin ONeal, his passenger, are black, and so was Smith.On cross examination, Assistant Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Napoli repeatedly noted that no other witness said Smith had a gun and that Hayes never told investigators he saw a gun in Smiths hands that night.I never gave a full statement to anyone, Hayes said, growing testy as Napoli asked about inconsistencies in his testimony and past statements.Hayes also insisted he never shot Racquel Smith, although Napoli said ballistics evident indicates otherwise.Calm and sometimes smiling during his early testimony, Hayes voice broke a bit as he talked about being separated from his 6-year-old son. Hayes has been jailed since the shooting. Hayes owns a tow truck business and also said he breeds dogs. He discussed his high school and college football career, his time as a semi-pro football player and his admiration for Smith. He said he didnt recognize Smith the night of the shooting and grew despondent hours later upon learning he had killed the beloved football star.I cried like a baby, he said.I said my lifes over with ... Theyre going to make me like I just shot and killed this man. Wholesale Jordan 11 Cheap . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. Wholesale Air Jordan 11 . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. http://www.airjordan11outlet.com/ . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Air Jordan 11 Nike Outlet . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. Air Jordan 11 Shoes For Sale .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Missed catching up on the latest in Indian sport? Worry not as we give you the lowdown on the top stories of the past week.1. India claim Hockey Junior World Cup titleIndia won the Hockey Junior World Cup on Sunday, defeating Belgium 2-1 in Lucknow thanks to goals from Gurjant Singh and Simranjeet Singh. India, playing their third junior World Cup final, became only the second team after Germany to win the junior title on more than one occasion, having defeated Argentina to win the tournament for the first time in 2001.Read more:?Indian juniors soak up win, aim for bigger stage2. Atletico de Kolkata win ISL 2016Atletico de Kolkata came back from trailing 1-0 in the first half of the Indian Super League (ISL) final - and then 2-0 in the penalty shootout - against Kerala Blasters, before pulling through to win 4-3 to claim their second ISL title in three years in Kochi on Sunday. The two teams had previously met in the 2014 final where ATK had beaten Kerala 1-0.Read more:?Mohd Rafi and other great numbers from ISL 20163. Vijender Singh retains his WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight titleVijender Singh defended his WBO Asia-Pacific Super Middleweight title with an emphatic win over Tanzanias Francis Cheka. The end came early, just under two minutes into the third round of what was scheduled to be a ten-round contest.Read more:?Vijender will be fighting for bigger titles in 2017 - manager4. Kidambi Srikanth wants to get back on courtSrikanth is back after a three-month injury layoff and is ready to step on the court.dddddddddddd He spoke to ESPN about not being able to get over the loss to Lin Dan at the Rio Olympics and his hopes from the Premier Badminton League (PBL).Read more:?Need to work on my consistency: Srikanth5. Aditi Ashok named Rookie of the YearAditi Ashok won the Ladies European Tour (LET) Rookie of the Year award after a stellar 2016 in which she became the first Indian to win two consecutive titles in her first year on the tour. After becoming the first Indian woman to represent the country in golf at the Rio Olympics, the 18-year-old from Bangalore won back-to-back titles at the Indian Open and the Qatar Ladies Open.Read more:?Aditi Ashok named 2016 Rookie of the Year6. Sindhu loses in the semis of the Dubai finalsPV Sindhu lost to South Koreas Sung Ji Hyun 21-15, 18-21, 21-15 in the semifinals of the Dubai World Superseries Finals on Saturday.After beating Carolina Marin in her last group game of the tournament to exact some measure of revenge for her defeat in Rio, Sindhu, ranked five places below World No. 5 Sung, gave the South Korean a tough fight before succumbing to pressure in the deciding game.Read more:?Dubai World Superseries Finals: Sindhu goes down fighting in semis ' ' '