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Star receiver Steve Smith was scheduled to rejoin his Carolina Panthers teammates Sunday night at training camp in Spartanburg and was expected to apologize to them for breaking cornerback Ken Lucas' nose in a sideline fight during Friday's practice.
Smith has been away from the team since shortly after the incident, which earned him a suspension for the first two games of the regular season.
Smith may speak to the local media today, but so far neither he nor his agent have returned calls or e-mails from the Observer.
However, Smith made his first comments about the fight Sunday in an interview with Pro Football Weekly.
“I feel horrible,” he told PFW. “That's the thing I don't think people realize, is how remorseful I am and how, in five or six seconds, five or six years has come crashing down. That's the consequences of my actions. But I won't let it be the last thing people remember me by as far as a player and as a person.”
Smith underwent anger management after punching teammate Anthony Bright in a team meeting room in 2002. He was suspended one game for that fight and was sued by Bright. They eventually settled out of court.
Smith and Lucas were on the sidelines without their helmets on, debating a practice play when Smith hit Lucas in the face. At the time, Lucas was kneeling on one knee. A melee ensued and didn't end until linebacker Jon Beason pulled Smith away from the scene.
“I lost my cool,” Smith said. “It started with words and escalated from there.
“It was a mistake. I have to work toward gaining that respect back from my teammates and from everyone else it affected.
“I am not going to run and hide. But I am not going to allow this moment – this paragraph or this chapter – to define my book of life in the end.”
Smith is expected to be back at practice today. The Panthers work out at 9:10 a.m. and 6:40 p.m. on their practice fields at Wofford.
He will miss the Panthers' games at San Diego on Sept. 7 and at home against Chicago on Sept. 14 while he serves the suspension. He will not be able to practice or be around the team for those two weeks.
Charles Chandler: 704-358-5123
