More Irresponsible Injury

[CatMan72]

Truth is that injuries can happen at any time. Davis' injury was a fluke as was Smith's arm. Sure you shouldn't play flag football but lets be honest he has played before in that league and never gotten hurt. Now it is a major problem.

So should he avoid all possible of injury from any source? That means he shouldn't drive anywhere since car accidents are a major source of player injuries off season. He should avoid climbing a ladder, swimming, doing any kind of physical work etc.

I get that playing flag football can cause accidents but really how many folks get injured? I figure his arm was susceptible to another break for whatever reason and this is an opportunity to fix it and get him better for the year. Otherwise I imagine he would have done this in training camp or in preseason anyway. After all he hurt it without any contact at all.

It's a problem because it's a violation of the terms of the contract he signed.

[panthers55]

It's a problem because it's a violation of the terms of the contract he signed.

It is only a problem if the Panthers decide to enforce it. Plus since he will lose no games there is really nothing to fine. Players don't get paid for OTA's, training camp, and preseason games. They only get paid for the regular season which is why for every game they get suspended they lose 1/16 of their salary.

Much ado about nothing. If he got hurt falling in the bathtub we wouldn't be having this conversation. Players do things all the time that violate the strict contract limitations if you want to make a case about it. As long as no one gets hurt it isn't a big deal.

You do know he has been playing in this flag football league for years, right??

[Wither]

It's a problem because it's a violation of the terms of the contract he signed.

God forbid Steve Smith have some "me-time" during the offseason!

[Mother Grabber]

The solution for Davis is obvious. He's torn the ACL twice while back pedaling, so Fox just needs to keep him from doing that from now on. Move him back to safety and have him start every play from the goal line. That way, he only runs forward. Problem solved.

[CatMan72]

It is only a problem if the Panthers decide to enforce it. Plus since he will lose no games there is really nothing to fine. Players don't get paid for OTA's, training camp, and preseason games. They only get paid for the regular season which is why for every game they get suspended they lose 1/16 of their salary.

Much ado about nothing. If he got hurt falling in the bathtub we wouldn't be having this conversation. Players do things all the time that violate the strict contract limitations if you want to make a case about it. As long as no one gets hurt it isn't a big deal.

You do know he has been playing in this flag football league for years, right??

There's a HUGE difference between getting hurt performing a normal daily activity like driving or taking a bath and getting hurt playing flag football.

If Smith didn't think it was a big deal he wouldn't have bothered to try and lie about it by saying it happened at his camp, right?

As a matter of principle, I think the Panthers need to punish Smith in some way to send a message to the rest of the team. Give him some sort of fine and call it a day.

[CatMan72]

God forbid Steve Smith have some "me-time" during the offseason!

Me-time during the offeason does not need to involve flag football... it's not a matter of opinion, it's forbidden by his contract.

[CatMan72]

My point is: to compare the Davis injury to Smith's injury is ridiculous, Davis got hurt participating in a sanctioned team activity while Smith got injured doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.

[pantherclaw]

Getting hurt is getting hurt.

Stop playing symantics, and get over it.

[Mother Grabber]

From the point of view of can some play or not, then yes getting hurt is getting hurt. But that's way over simplifying. The livelihood of the players and everyone else in the Panthers organization relies on the health of their bodies. If they get hurt and can't perform, especially an elite player like Smith or Davis, that affects the team's ability to succeed. In that case, accountability is important. If you get hurt in a game, practice or team function, then the team has to take accountability. If you get hurt in a 5 way jello orgy with German wrestlers, that's you own fault. In Smiths case, he got hurt in an event not related to the Panthers organization, so he can be held accountable. I feel that since it was an event to help the community at large, however, he should get a pass.

[Seal (SmittyIsOurSavior)]

The thread title made me think someone else got injured.

[pantherclaw]

Yall are acting like these players were out doing extreme sports, or driving rice rockets, or sky diving, or something of extreme risk.

They weren't.

Davis was cleared for full practice, and had been practicing for weeks. He wasn't doing anything new, that he hadn't been doing 2 weeks prior.

Steve Smith broke his arm playing flag football. I wouldn't ask any pro athlete, especially a pro football player, not to play flag football.

So people need to stop over reacting to things.

[fitty76]

There's a HUGE difference between getting hurt performing a normal daily activity like driving or taking a bath and getting hurt playing flag football.

If Smith didn't think it was a big deal he wouldn't have bothered to try and lie about it by saying it happened at his camp, right?

As a matter of principle, I think the Panthers need to punish Smith in some way to send a message to the rest of the team. Give him some sort of fine and call it a day.

I think flag football is just as pointless as OTAs.

[Mr. Scot]

Having OTAs is not "irresponsible". Neither is letting a player who's trying to recover and has been medically approved take part in them.

As to Smith, how many of you have ever seen somebody get their arm broken in a flag football game?

"Irresponsible" is Brian Griese getting hurt tripping over his dog because he was drunk...

Or Chris Hanson gashing his leg because Jack Del Rio thought putting an axe and a tree stump in the locker room as an object lesson was a good idea...

Or Kellen Winslow II playing a game of "how big an idiot can I be" on his motorcycle.

That's irresponsible.

Davis and Smith? That's accidental.

[panthers55]

There's a HUGE difference between getting hurt performing a normal daily activity like driving or taking a bath and getting hurt playing flag football.

If Smith didn't think it was a big deal he wouldn't have bothered to try and lie about it by saying it happened at his camp, right?

As a matter of principle, I think the Panthers need to punish Smith in some way to send a message to the rest of the team. Give him some sort of fine and call it a day.

I think that each situation is unique and should be treated as such instead of an opportunity to teach an object lesson to the team. Truth is Smith will be out four to five weeks which is almost exactly the time it will be until camp. He will miss no games of consequence. Seems to me that he won't be able to enjoy his normal 4 week break until camp which is punishment enough. As long as it is largely a no real harm/no real foul kind of situation, the best thing is to do as you say which is call it a day but skip the meaningless punishment caused by a non-contact accident.