The Associated Press | Posted: Saturday, August 2, 2008 11:00 pm
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Receiver Steve Smith was suspended two games by the Carolina Panthers after a training camp fight with cornerback Ken Lucas.
Smith, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, will continue to practice when training camp resumes Monday and will be allowed to participate in preseason games, coach John Fox said Saturday.
Lucas, who left the practice field at Wofford College on Friday with ice over his left eye, has a broken nose, Fox said. Smith was kicked out of practice and sent back to Charlotte.
"What (Smith) did was wrong and we take very serious and he is being punished severely for it," Fox said.
The melee came after both players had taken off their helmets in a break for starters during a special teams drill. It was unclear what provoked the fight. While the two have routinely jawed at each other in practice since Lucas signed with Carolina in 2005, they've never come to blows in view of reporters.
The suspension will cost Smith more than $205,000, a fraction of his base salary. Fox also seemed to issue a stern warning toward Smith and his future actions.
"He is still ours and he will have conditions," Fox said. "He knows what those are and we will move forward."
Lucas, who was not suspended, did not practice Saturday at Fan Fest and is listed as day-to-day. He showed up in the locker room Saturday morning unexpectedly and was mobbed by teammates, according to quarterback Jake Delhomme.
Delhomme said he was proud of Lucas for coming.
"Ken got overwhelmed with every single player coming up to him and telling him hello," Delhomme said. "I think it was great that he came out today. A lesser person would not have come out. But he did. And we can't wait to get him back."
Delhomme said he hasn't spoken with Smith, but has exchanged text messages.
"Steve will be back with us," Delhomme said. "I know he's extremely remorseful and he understands. But if we want to be a good football team we have to win without him."
Smith will miss the season opener at San Diego on Sept. 7 and the home opener the following Sunday against Chicago. He will not face any additional punishment from the league.
• Goodell hopes to have Farve saga finished by Monday: At Green Bay Wis., NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hopes to have Brett Favre's standoff with the Green Bay Packers resolved by Monday, even if he has to force the issue.
"Both parties are talking, the Green Bay Packers and Brett," Goodell said in an interview with the NFL Network on Saturday. "And I think the discussions are moving ahead. I would hope that we would have something resolved by Monday."
Goodell made it clear he thinks the situation has lingered long enough.
"I think we have to force it," Goodell said. "I think it's come to the point where there need to be some decisions made on behalf of the Packers, on behalf of Brett, on behalf of all the fans."
• Redskins, Colts ready to put on a show for HOF game: At Canton, Ohio, Darrell Green, Art Monk and Joe Gibbs are the links to Washington's championship past.
Jason Taylor and Jim Zorn represent the Redskins' future.
Tonight the two eras will come face-to-face as Monk and Green watch the revamped Redskins play Indianapolis in the Hall of Fame Game.
"Everybody has a rehearsal," said Zorn, who makes his debut as Washington's coach. "It won't be perfect this first preseason (game) ... but we have several to get up to speed."
The game culminates a weekend-long celebration for Redskins fans that includes Monk and Green being inducted together Saturday night. Their 2008 Hall of Fame classmates were defensive end Fred Dean, who played for San Diego when Gibbs was on the Chargers staff; cornerback Emmitt Thomas, who coached Monk and Green during his tenure on Gibbs' staff in Washington; offensive lineman Gary Zimmerman and linebacker Andre Tippett.
But if fans think they'll get an early indication of whether the Redskins have improved after last season's playoff run, think again. As usual, the league's opening preseason game will be all for show.
Instead of fans seeing jarring hits from the last two defensive players of the year -- Taylor in 2006 and Indy's Bob Sanders in 2007 -- it's likely neither will play. Sanders hasn't even practiced after offseason shoulder surgery, and Zorn may elect to keep the recently acquired Taylor on the sideline, too.
Other Redskins starters who might sit out include running back Clinton Portis, tackle Chris Samuels, linebacker London Fletcher and cornerback Carlos Rogers.