Steve Smith Punched a Teammate; Training Camp Has Officially Begun

The fists of Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith rudely introduced themselves to teammate Ken Lucas's face yesterday, and both guys were kicked out of practice. Lucas, though, had to be treated for injuries on the field before he was taken to the locker room. I'm sure that did wonders for his manhood and self-esteem. Of course, this isn't the first time Smith has hit a teammate after the whistle, so to speak. In 2002, he was suspended for a game after punching Anthony Bright during a film session. The anger-management counseling he received following that incident has clearly worn off. No word yet from the Panthers if their star wideout will receive a suspension this time around. Finally, there's this small bit of hilarity brought to our attention by hawk-eyed reader Dan: "There is a Reebok animated banner ad that pops up randomly on ESPN.com featuring Steve Smith. He's in the locker room, hands taped up like a boxer with one frame of the ad featuring him in a boxer's stance and the next with his taped up fist right in the center of the ad. At this point, probably more inappropriate than any teabagging from Nike." Panthers' Steve Smith goes on a bad route [Charlotte Observer]