Former XFL star "He Hate Me" reported missing in South Carolina
A former professional football player for Vince McMahon's XFL and the NFL's Carolina Panthers is missing and endangered, according to deputies in South Carolina. The Sheriff's Office in Lancaster County put out missing person's report for Torrald "Rod" Smart on Tuesday morning, CBS South Carolina affiliate WLTX-TV reported.
The missing person's flyer said Smart was last seen in the town of Indian Land on Wednesday, June 12 at 10:30 a.m. Officers say it's unusual for him to be out of touch for this long, and his family is worried about his safety and well-being. He is believed to be driving his silver 2016 Nissan Maxima with North Carolina tag PJR 1759.
Smart played college football as a running back at Western Kentucky and was signed by the NFL's San Diego Chargers in 2000 out of college as a free agent. But he emerged as one of the stars of the XFL, the former football league created by WWE owner Vince McMahon.
Instead of their real names, players wore jerseys with other slogans, and Smart had the words "He Hate Me" printed on the back of his. The jersey made him one of the few breakout players in the league, which never caught on with the public, and ended after one year. The WWE plans to bring back the league next year in a different form.
From 2002 to 2005, he was a running back and kick return specialist for the NFL's Carolina Panthers, and was on the team that won the 2003 NFC Championship.
Anyone who knows where Smart is is urged to call the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office at 803-283-3388.