Former Carolina Panther Rod Smart, aka 'He Hate Me,' found safe

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Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Former Panther missing in SC
Rod Smart has been missing since June 12.

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. (WTVD) -- A former Carolina Panthers player who gained fame in the XFL with his colorful nickname was found after being missing for several days.

Rod Smart, who became widely known in the XFL for his nickname "He Hate Me," was part of a missing persons report out of Lancaster County, South Carolina, starting Tuesday morning.

Shortly after 6 p.m., the sheriff's office updated its Facebook post to say that Smart had been found safe. No further details were released.

Smart, whose given first name is Torrold, played running back at Western Kentucky and joined Vince McMahon's XFL in 2001, playing with the Las Vegas Outlaws

Smart's personality and performance caught the attention of some NFL teams and he signed with the Panthers, playing in Charlotte from 2002 to 2005. He played on the Panthers' NFC championship team in 2003.