Steve Smith, who upon being released by the Carolina Panthers, promised that there would be “blood and guts everywhere” if he saw them on the field again, has stated that he will retire as a member of the Panther organization when he decides to hang up his cleats.
However, because the chip on Smith’s shoulder is the size of several mountain ranges, he couldn’t help but get in a couple digs at the current Panthers front office while he expressed his love for the franchise he called home for thirteen years:
“When that time comes, I’ll be able to walk back in those doors and retire as a Panther and have the respect and not have such a split and not allow the few individuals in their temporary residence there to alter a decade of what I’ve done and experienced in that great organization,” Smith told ESPN.com’s Ashley Fox. “I was there 13 years, and the way I look at it and what I was told, I’ll be there a lot longer than they will.”
Smith went on to say that, although he doesn’t have a good relationship with some in the Panthers organization, he left a meeting with owner Jerry Richardson under very good circumstances and he still has a great appreciation for Panthers fans.
Intriguingly, the Panthers and Ravens will play each other this week. Both teams are 2-1 and Smith has been incredibly productive working with Joe Flacco. He’s also vowed to put on a show against his former team. Here’s Steve Smith from the first week of the season:
.embed-container {position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; overflow: hidden;} .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
Get your popcorn ready.
