lucas speaks

a little bit. per Gantt

DoC Part III: Lucas speaks
Submitted by Darin on Mon, 2008-08-04 12:20.
CB Ken Lucas said he's forgiven Steve Smith, but still might miss two to three weeks because of his broken nose.

Wouldn't elaborate on what kind of surgery he needs, but said he thought the confortation was brewing for four years.

"I feel like this is a blessing in disguise," Lucas said. "This can bring this team closer together."


per disturber...

Lucas: I've forgiven him
Ken Lucas just spoke to the media and said he has forgiven Steve Smith for breaking his nose in last Friday's fight on the sidelines of the Panthers' practice.

Lucas said he'll need surgery, but he declined to give specifics.

Lucas said he shook Smith's hand Monday and that they have begun talking to settle the differences they've had over the past four years.

A few minutes before Lucas was interviewed by reporters, Smith spoke and apologized, saying there were not two sides to the story. He said the only side was that he was in the wrong.

Smith said he would not let the incident define his life. He apologized to his teammates, the organization and the public. He declined to take questions from the media.

We'll have more on this soon.

-- Charles Chandler and David Scott

Posted by Observer Sports on August 4, 2008 at 09

 

Did anyone listen to the Morning Sports Page? I think they've been accused of sucking Smiths dick for so long that they had to go on a full blown attack. I've never called into a show and probably never will but I almost did just to tell them to settle the fuck down. You would think he'd raped someone and poisoned their pets.

 

MONDAY AM: Smith talks; Lucas will need surgery, out 2-3 weeks
Noon: Steve Smith just spoke with the media on Monday and apologized to just about everyone for his actions. He spoke for three minutes and did not take any questions. We will have the transcript up for you in a few minutes. Please check back.

"I would really like to apologize to the organization, to the coaches, to my teammates and to my family," Smith said. "I have a big responsibility to a lot of people and I know I disappointed a lot of people. But I will not allow this moment in the book of life to define me despite what people may say or write. I made a bad decision and I accept the responsibilities of my actions.I will take this opportunity moving forward to try to do the best I can to move past this and not let this define me to where I'm not able to help this organization with a championship. This issue that happened is going to be an opportunity for the Carolina Panthers and myself as an individual to be able to show our true colors and be able to show the impact we can have."

Also, Lucas spoke to the media and said he's forgiven Smith.

Lucas also said that he will be out 2-3 weeks and will need surgery on his nose.

"I feel like what happened is a blessing in disguise," Lucas said. "I think it's something that may bring this team closer together. You all may think I'm crazy for saying that. But I think it's bigger than Steve and I. Steve and I talked man-to-man, one-on-one and we still have more talking to do."

Lucas said, "There are a lot of things that have been brewing between Steve and I. I can't possibly tell you what the issues are in one conversation what has been happening (over the last) four years."

--more to come--

11:50 AM Safety Chris Harris just talked to reporters about Steve Smith's apology to the team on Sunday night:

"He apologized and the team accepted and we're moving on," Harris said. "All teams deal with adversity and we can't let that hinder our season."

Harris described said Smith's apology during a team meeting as "very emotional."

"We accepted it and we're moving on," Harris said. "We're not looking in the past. We have our eyes looking forward. It's like a DB (defensive back). if a bad play happens you can't keep focusing on it or it will hurt you down the road. That was a speed bump in training camp. But the car is in drive. We're not going backwards."

Steve Reed

 

Apology. Please. Steve probably does feel bad about embarrassing himself and hurting the team, but the fact is that he's just going to be this way no matter how often he insists that he'll change. Hell, I'm not even sure that he fully understands how what he did was wrong. I'm sure he grasps how Lucas being injured and him being suspended hurts the team, but does he actually understand that sucker punching someone is a bitch move?

 

I don't know what else he could/should have said. It was a horrible thing to do, but so far, I am nothing but satisfied with:

• Team's response
• Steve's response
• Ken's response
• How the players and Fox have handled a very awkward situation

As far as the sincerity of his remorse--it's hard to say. Sounds like the victim is satisfied with the progress being made.

 

Money and success cannot change who he is.
Once a punk: always a punk.

I am satisfied with the outcome only because Lucas said he has forgiven him. But I don't think I could ever again respect him as person. And I wasn't the one he sucker-punched...

 

You can't be a hero until you have a flaw.

 

Sounds like a tagline from the movie "The Dark Knight"...

 

Probably...problems with impulse control do not necessarilly indicate a lack of empathy and/or regret. Will he do it again? Probably and he'll regret it then too.

 

what precipitated this "punch" anyways? Why did they not like each other?