Steve Smith Is ON WFNZ Having A Confessional, Won't Let the Story End

[teeray]

Smitty has invested a lot in this organization. He has the right to feel how he wants to feel. I, nor you, have a dog in that race. Funny how most act like jilted lovers. He was the man while here, now he is gone and it's blah, blah, blah. NONE of us were privy to that conversation, betwixt he and Getts...yes, including you. He said what he said, Getts said what he said. The vitriol towards the guy is sad really, just sad.

Look, you spit vitriol at me or my team I am going to spit it right back. I don't care what he did, not going to give him a lifetime pass to piss on our team and organization.

[Mr. Scot]

Correct, however he was also asked to take a pay cut the previous year with the voidable years added on. Retirement was clearly on the cards. I'm sure he didn't like it but ultimately he decided to remain and retire a Panther. They are both obviously different scenarios. Gross was ready to hang them up, Smitty wasn't and wasn't prepared to play at a discount.

 

Both guys were here for 10 years. Very rare indeed, we can be proud of both players but they can't play forever even if last year was one of Gross' best. Smitty is defying the odds today but last year he looked like he might be nearing the end. Not 1 game with 100 yards receiving and pulling up with a PCL with no contact. I can't blame Gman for trying to make a prudent decision but these last two games haven't been good for Panther PR.

 

Winning cures a lot of ills.

 

All valid.

 

[goodoleboy]

The few encounters I have had with Smith over the years he has pretty much been a dick. These were at Panther events with my son getting something autographed. He was rude, arrogant and basically an ass hole for no reason to little kids.

 

I loved him as a Panther player. He was an ass hole but he was our ass hole. Pretty pathetic human being but a great athlete. Thats Steve.

[Growl]

Why would you even do this after Sunday? You won the game, you played great. You had all the bragging rights in the world.

Now you're back at square one and everybody just thinks you're being pouty. All the face you saved Sunday is now lost again as you've demonstrated it's still eating at you. You've given all the "power" right back to Gettleman by showing what a number his decision did on you.

[PantherWake]

Smitty threads will never end lol

[teeray]

I put this in the wrong thread so I will put it here

Some of you guys act like if you dated a girl for 13 years, then broke up, and she went around telling everyone how small your dick was you would be like "that's cool, we had a good 13 years together"

[KendrickPanther]

I'm glad he called in. Steve Smith deserves to say whatever he wants. He earned that right bleeding for this franchise for 13 years. He can tell all our guys to go to hell, he earned that right.

[teeray]

To me this is just proof we made the right decision

[FootballMaestro]

Oh wow, I didn't get that from the OP. Well that's kinda strange.

 

I'm not sure I answered you already.

 

But Smith never said Rivera didn't talk to him again; ever.

 

He said that Rivera never spoke to him when his tenure with the Panthers was up in the air.

 

He did say Rivera spoke to him after the game for the first time. And that's what his beef was with Rivera (whether Rivera truly never spoke to him again, or did; and just didn't broach the subject of Smitty regarding his Panther status).

[Proudiddy]

It certainly makes sense as to why Steve is so hurt... I said I believed it to be personal on GMan's behalf from the jump.

It also confirms what I've said here plenty before about Rivera... he is like a puppet. He's non-confrontational and what most would consider soft, emotionally.

I think it all adds up and make sense considering everything that has transpired since. I think it's possible that GMan's made the personal insults because 1) he comes off very old-school, 2) he made hurtful references about Smitty's past hoping to gain some leverage for a paycut, and 3) he's very matter-of-fact and felt he could say Smitty was washed up - he's done the same thing with pressers (the comments abt Cam and Smitty during separate pressers before and after the season last year are good evidence).

This is pretty sad though... what I take from it is, Smitty won't be signing with us to retire anytime soon, or at least while GEttleman is still the GM and Rivera the coach. It's possible he won't even do it after that because JR can't be happy he just aired them out like this.

It doesn't make it any easier for Panther fans either because it confirms there could've been another resolution that worked for everyone... instead he ended up elsewhere and just thoroughly embarrassed us, both on and off the field.

And for thise that think he's bullshitting, go review how Goodell handled the recent Ray Rice fiasco and how he tried to use media to free the NFL of any negligence. The panthers are very selective about who they let in and how it is reported... Rapoport is an NFL shill. I'm pretty sure that report was put out late because GMan's was tired of the beating he was taking in the media pre-game considering Smitty's start.

[cookinbrak]

They're getting ready to replay the call.

[Proudiddy]

Why would you even do this after Sunday? You won the game, you played great. You had all the bragging rights in the world.

Now you're back at square one and everybody just thinks you're being pouty. All the face you saved Sunday is now lost again as you've demonstrated it's still eating at you. You've given all the "power" right back to Gettleman by showing what a number his decision did on you.

I feel like this to a degree... it was my initial thought reading it at least... BUT, it signals to me that he's telling the truth because it has weighed on him so heavy, the way it was handled, that he couldn't move forward even after the performance without getting it off his chest.

Sadly, as I mentioned in my first reply to this thread, I think he just set back his retirement ceremony for about a century.

[The NFL Shield At Midfield]

I'm glad he called in. Steve Smith deserves to say whatever he wants. He earned that right bleeding for this franchise for 13 years. He can tell all our guys to go to hell, he earned that right.

 

and he got paid millions to play a game as a moneymaking instrument for the billion dollar mammoth that is the carolina panthers

 

gettleman, richardson, and rivera don't owe him anything

[Growl]

I'm glad he called in too, because he went right ahead and validated every criticism of him and made the decision we made look even better.

Has anyone ever heard of any other professional athlete doing something like this? Do you think Smith sits there all day on his IHeartRadio app trying to hear the smallest sliver of news of what WFNZ might say about him? Are there pictures of us in his closet he throws darts at before apologizing and begging us to take him back?

Suck it up Steve. Could anyone envision Manning calling into Indianapolis radio and throwing this kind of fit?