Former Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith to face trial in ‘violent’ assault case

A judge in Los Angeles ruled Tuesday that Raiders cornerback Sean Smith should stand trial for an alleged assault of his sister’s then-boyfriend earlier this year in Pasadena, Calif., the Los Angeles Times reported.

A news release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office says Smith “allegedly beat and then stomped on the victim’s head” in the early hours of July 4. If convicted, Smith would face a possible maximum sentence of seven years in state prison.

Smith, who played for the Chiefs from 2013-15, pleaded not guilty, the Times story said.

“Sean maintains his innocence at this time,” Smith’s attorney, Daniel Rosenberg told NBC Sports California in August. “We are going to be entering a plea of not guilty and fighting these charges.”

According to the Times, two men said they saw a man they identified as Smith stomping the head of Christopher Woods as he lay bleeding and unconscious.

That story said Woods testified that he recalled walking on the street, then his next memory was waking up at a hospital. Doctors inserted a metal plate and screws underneath his right eye and conducted reconstructive surgery on his left eye socket to repair five facial fractures. Woods also tore his left anterior cruciate ligament and suffers from blurry vision.

“It was violent,” testified Sergio Galicia, per the Times.

You can read more here.

While with the Chiefs in 2015, Smith entered a guilty plea in Kansas City Municipal Court for driving under the influence the previous June and he received two years probation. He was suspended by the NFL for the incident.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Former Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith to face trial in ‘violent’ assault case."