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UNM Football: Lobo recruit awaits answers

By Iliana Limón
Wednesday, December 20, 2006

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University of New Mexico football recruit Ervin "Una" Smiley is Smiley went to an Albuquerque strip club with three Lobos escorting him during his official visit and was shot following an argument with two unidentified men early Dec. 9, according to Albuquerque police.

Smiley suffered nerve damage in his right leg and has two bullets lodged in his left leg.

He has returned to San Diego, Calif., where he has seen a team of doctors and still is awaiting answers about his future.

"The doctors have been great, but they've told me it will be a few weeks before they know how bad the damage is," Vincent Rosa, Smiley's uncle, said in a phone interview with the Tribune on Tuesday night. "I think we're pushing the doctors for answers, but they've been very patient with us. They understand and haven't gotten mad at us."

Smiley is waiting on word from San Diego orthopedic surgeon Michael Skylar, who frequently treats athletes at Palomar College where Smiley just earned his associate's degree.

Smiley still doesn't have feeling back in his right leg and can't walk on his own. He will spend the holiday break in San Diego instead of returning home to Honolulu. Several relatives will visit him for Christmas.

"He wanted to go home a week ago, but the doctors told him he couldn't leave," Rosa said. "They don't want him to hurt himself more by putting too much pressure on the leg trying to move around."

The doctors are awaiting results from tests to determine the extent of nerve damage. They also want to see the swelling go down in Smiley's leg before letting him begin aggressive rehabilitation.

"We don't know a lot more, but (Una) is doing a lot better because he trusts the doctors and believes they are doing everything possible to help him," Rosa said. "He was very depressed until a few days ago, and we were really worried about him. Now a lot of relatives are calling him and the (Palomar) coaches are really looking out for him.

". . . He's doing much better and is laughing again, which is really important. He used to be a really funny guy, but he has been so sad and serious since the shooting."

Smiley said in an interview with the Tribune last week he was fearful his football career was over.

He grew up a juvenile delinquent in Hawaii while his family struggled on welfare. His mother suffers from a severe stutter and had a series of health problems.

Smiley said he began playing football his junior year in high school and it saved his life.

"I'm really scared right now," he said Friday. "I'm just praying there's a light at the end of the tunnel and I can play football again."

Smiley, an 6-foot-5, 275-pound offensive lineman, had earned second team junior college all American honors at Palomar College. He had made official visits to Oregon and San Diego State before his trip to Albuquerque.

Rosa said rumors he already had committed to Oregon State before his UNM visit were incorrect.

"He was happy with a lot of schools, but he hadn't made a commitment anywhere," Rosa said. "I told him to wait until after he was done with his New Mexico visit before making a decision. I thought New Mexico would be the tamest one. Boy was I wrong."

The uncle added no schools that had been recruiting Smiley have rescinded scholarship offers.

"Hawaii actually showed interest in him when they heard about the shooting," Rosa said. "They were never really recruiting him before, but they want to take care of him. That's really nice."

UNM Rocky Long also said the school will honor its scholarship offer to Smiley and is hopeful he will make a full recovery.

While no one has dropped Smiley, he won't be enrolling anywhere for the spring semester as he had planned.

"The doctors said no one is really going to step up and let him actually sign with them until they know how bad the injury is," Rosa said. "Right now he just has to wait and see what happens."

Rosa said the Smiley family isn't ignoring the disturbing details about what happened the early morning the recruit was shot in Albuquerque.

Smiley and current Lobos Clayton Cardenas, Justin Clayton and Michael Tuohy went to the Spearmint Rhino Gentleman's Club at 1645 University Blvd. N.E. early Dec. 9, a violation of UNM Athletics Department rules.

Cardenas, Clayton and Tuohy have been suspended from the UNM football team and won't participate in the New Mexico Bowl Saturday. Long said he will decide whether Cardenas and Tuohy can rejoin the team at the start of the spring semester.

Smiley, who was 20, appeared to be intoxicated when he was interviewed following the shooting by a police officer at UNM Hospital, according to an Albuquerque police report.

Smiley, the police report and UNM officials have not provided any details about the group's decision to go to the strip club or what sparked their argument with two unidentified men.

"We are kind of mad at him and we definitely expect more from him, but we'll never leave his side," Rosa said. "Right now, we all have the same prayers. We just want him to get better."