Anger Management

No, not the recent movie with Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson (though that was fun). I’m talking about real-life anger management. Okay, the life of a professional football player might not be too real-life to the rest of us, but it is someone’s real life, so bear with me.

Almost a year ago, Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith pummelled fellow receiver Anthony Bright during a meeting. Smith received orders to go through anger management counseling and was suspended for a week.

Apparently it didn’t work. Yesterday, while playing the Houston Texans, the Panthers were driving late in the game and Smith was tackled. The player who leveled Smith didn’t get up immediately, and was allegedly putting pressure on Smith’s ankle. What do you do in such a situation?

If you’re Smith, you kick the guy in the back (perhaps the helmet, reports conflict) and get your team a 15-yard penalty, stalling the drive and perhaps ending your chances for the day. The Panthers did get the ball back with 1 second on the clock, but lost the game. It can’t be blamed entirely on Smith, but his actions certainly contributed.

More disconcerting is his penchant for violent solutions. Football is a physical game, to be sure. But kicking a guy? That’s over the line. What makes the matter worse is that Smith is having a solid year and is one of the bright spots for the Panthers. It’d be tough to take him out of the game. But that’s what the team needs to do to send a signal that this sort of behavior won’t be tolerated.

Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has said repeatedly that he doesn’t want to see this sort of thing. Now it’s time to put up or shut up. Either he’s serious or he isn’t. Sure, benching Smith will hurt. But the cost of letting someone run around who thinks the world is their punching bag is much higher in the end.