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 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.
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.
RAIDERS: Oakland receiver Javon Walker told the team he wanted to retire and offered to return his $11 million signing bonus before being talked out of it by owner Al Davis. ESPN reported Saturday that Walker told the team on Thursday of his intentions to retire. Walker has been at practice the past two days and apparently has had a change of heart.
“That’s a done issue,” Walker said late Saturday following the Raiders’ evening practice. “I’m not really sure what happened but that’s a done issue. That’s something that obviously people hear stuff. I’m here practicing, waiting, and (I) obviously can’t wait till the season starts.”
PACKERS: Green Bay agreed to terms with running back Ryan Grant, allowing one of last season’s surprise breakout stars to report to training camp as early as today. Agent Alan Herman said Grant has agreed to a four-year deal that could be worth up to $30 million, with much of the money coming in performance-based escalators. Grant will make $4.25 million this season.
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. In an interview with the NFL Network Goodell said, “I think we’ve gotten to the point where we kind of have to force it.”
CHIEFS: Kansas City top draft pick Glenn Dorsey sprained his left knee during practice. The team said Dorsey will undergo an MRI to determine how bad the injury is. The injury happened when the defensive tackle collided with another lineman during practice. After Dorsey limped off the field, trainers wrapped his knee and put ice on it. He then went to the locker room and wasn’t seen for the rest of practice.
PATRIOTS: New England signed offensive lineman Barry Stokes and placed Anthony Clement on the injured reserve list with a knee injury. Stokes, 34, has played in 83 career games with 44 starts for the Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions.
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