Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith is a great football player, but he really needs to stop punching his teammates.
Steve Reed of CarolinaGrowl.com reports that Smith and Panthers cornerback Ken Lucas exchanged blows on the sideline during a special teams practice today at training camp. Neither player was wearing a helmet at the time, and Smith got the better of it:
Lucas was then taken under the tent at the practice field and treated by trainer Ryan Vermillion. His face was bloodied and he appeared to have a large gash under his left eye. He held ice on the eye for several minutes before being taken to the locker room on a cart.
Reed reports that Smith walked off the field with Panthers general manager Marty Hurney and did not return.
In 2002 Smith attacked fellow wide receiver Anthony Bright in the film room, punching Bright in the face and damaging his facial structure. Bright sued Smith and it was settled out of court. Smith was suspended one game for that incident; coach John Fox says he doesn't know whether there will be discipline stemming from this incident.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-01-2008 @ 12:11PM
C ROZZ said...
Sounds like we got a guy that doesn't take **** from anyone.
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8-01-2008 @ 1:04PM
soulcitysigma1914 said...
well...
as a panthers fan, i really don't like having read this at all. smith was a little rough around the edges earlier in his career, having fought Bright and i also remember seeing a game where he kicked a defender in the helmut after that defender was slow getting off of him from a tackle (can't remember who that was or what team that was, but trust me it happened and he was flagged for it).
smith has done a lot to clean up his image and he can't revert to his old ways and tarnish himself as a dirty player. i actually made fun of the the sad little Falcons fans on the AJC forum after they cried about the smith/hall incident and said smith was just a thug but had to cite a 2002 incident to justify that claim. but now, people who want to marginalize smith as just a thug have new fodder.
believe me, black sports fans like myself are tired of hearing successful black people like smith labeled thugs because we have too much of that in our community anyway and we want our most successful brothers held in high-esteem. but if smith does things like this, you can't blame people for labeling him a thug.
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8-01-2008 @ 2:48PM
ray said...
"Getting into a sideline fight" is not the same thing as "punching a teammate". His altercation with Bright wasn't a fight, it was an assault against someone who wasn't prepared for it in a relatively low-stress environment. This was two people who compete against one another daily and don't like each other hanging out and talking shit in the sweltering heat, then finally coming to blows.
A guy who attacks a practice squad player at his same position in the film room is someone who needs to be suspended. When two guys who compete daily get into a fight on the sidelines at practice, that's not really a big deal. Stop making it more than it is.
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8-01-2008 @ 2:49PM
ray said...
"Getting into a sideline fight" is not the same thing as "punching a teammate". His altercation with Bright wasn't a fight, it was an assault against someone who wasn't prepared for it in a relatively low-stress environment. This was two people who compete against one another daily and don't like each other hanging out and talking shit in the sweltering heat, then finally coming to blows.
A guy who attacks a practice squad player at his same position in the film room is someone who needs to be suspended. When two guys who compete daily get into a fight on the sidelines at practice, that's not really a big deal. Stop making it more than it is.
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8-01-2008 @ 8:12PM
Joseph Grant III said...
I like Steve Smith as a player but this has happened before. Also, he had too many outbursts during the NFC Championship game against Seattle. I think they should trade him. You can't go far in the league when you are not on the same page with teammates and don't use better self-control. The Bengals prove that year and year out.
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8-01-2008 @ 9:19PM
soulcitysigma1914 said...
Joseph, w/ all due respect, you can't be serious! smith is not nearly the distraction chad johnson or chris henry were. as the story makes note of, this is like twice in six years, that's not a problem player. and it's good that he had outbursts in the seattle game cuz he was being expected to win the whole game and that wasn't cool
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8-02-2008 @ 6:54PM
Joseph Grant III said...
I am serious. If Smith's actions weren't so out of line, then the defense wouldn't be pissed at him. I would trade him and get rid of that annoying chip he has on his shoulders. It is a distraction, and I can guarantee you the Panthers won't win the big one with the likes of him around. Trust me.
8-02-2008 @ 12:46AM
George B Vieto said...
Steve Smith is one great football player but his fiery temper will land him of the Panthers team just like the former Red Sox outfielder who had one too many Manny being Manny moments.
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8-02-2008 @ 2:53PM
Leigh said...
Ok guys, as we all know Smith has his faults, but no one is saying what Lucas said or done to cause the reaction from Smith. Everyone wants to judge when they don't really have all the facts.
I think in this case both players should have received the same punishment. After all this is not their first time banging heads--it was just the first time without helmets.
I hate we aren't playing Smith in the first two games of the season--but I also feel Lucas shouldn't be playing these games either.
Both were in the wrong.
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