lucas speaks

It started when Smith was being covered by Lucas and Smith didn't like having his jersey pulled or some such nonsense. They started jack-jawing at each other and then after Lucas turned his back ... BAM!

Word is they have not liked each other for four years and this has been simmering just below the surface all that time. We don't know why. Lucas hinted to it but didn't say exactly what it is.

 

I'm guessing that when Lucas was on his knee, he slaped Smith in the balls and nobody saw it

 

He flew off and sucker punched Lucas, but he also stood before his teammates, hat in hand, and asked for forgiveness. Real men forgive when asked to, if it is for real. And it sounds to me like Smitty has been working hard on his maturity for the last few years, only to have this unfortunate relapse. I would accept his apology and move on, as it seems most of the team is currently doing. Football is an emotional game.

 

interesting...



DoC, Part IV: Lucas coming out a winner
Submitted by Darin on Mon, 2008-08-04 14:42.
Panthers CB Ken Lucas did something by taking a punch to the snout that he never did in three years of playing near-Pro Bowl-level defense.

He's part of the team now.

Lucas always has been a bit of a loner, viewed by some as aloof and some as a bit off-center. Whatever it was, he was never really part of the club, never seeming fully invested here.

Now, however, he's at least a sympathetic figure, if not someone who can bring the team together. He said he was moved by the reception he got when he went into the locker room Saturday, and has chosen the high road in how he's proceeding with Smith.

"When I came over to the stadium, I wasn’t coming to get a warm welcome," Lucas said. "I was really just coming over to be part of the team and not separate myself from the team. But lo and behold, it was very overhwleming, how they responded to me. It felt pretty good.

"You can view things as a gift or a curse. And I look at this as a gift. We have a team, that I think, has what it takes to win a Super Bowl this year. This is only something that I feel like will bring us closer. I view it as a gift rather than a curse."

Lucas went on (and on, and on) about his reception.

"For those guys to come and hug me and tell me they’re glad to see me in there, that felt so good to me. Sometimes it takes adversity to know you’re appreciated or how much people really care about you.

"If I could take it back, I wouldn’t. I mean, because it’s a learning process. Trials and tribulations only make you stronger as a man. For me and Steve, .. I’m sure he regrets his actions he took, but I would be less of a man if i didn’t forgive him. ... I just feel like it's just bigger than us."

 

I imagine he is...especially since he'll more than likely own Smitty's house and drive his SUV.

My opinion is that in addition to the 200K Smith will lose due to suspension, he will end up paying Lucas a bundle to forego criminal and civil litigation. Surgeon and hospital bills will probably be his responsibility as well, since I imagine insurance companies will seek compensation from him, rather than coughing up those costs.

It will also be interesting to see if his endorsements drop him. When it's all said and done, that could be a very costly bitch slap...financially and respect-wise.

 

I seriously doubt that.

 

O.K....so when does football start and the soap opera end?

 

Just an opinion. Moose publicly stated there could be legal ramifications.

Didn't Smith compensate Bright for the same reasons when they fought in 02?

 

DoC Part III: Lucas names his price
Submitted by Darin on Mon, 2008-08-04 12:20.
CB Ken Lucas said he's forgiven Steve Smith, but still wants his due

Lucas has named his price. According to Panthers CB, Ken Lucas, in lieu of any legal wrangling that might distract the team and potentially dampen what he believes is a playoff year, he is asking that Steve Smith give him the number 89. The number has become a Smith trademark, and a clothing line featuring the number was recently launched under Smith's sponsorship. Lucas is asking Smith to give Lucas the number 89 for the season, a move that would require NFL approval since Lucas is a defensive player.
Could this prove potentially costly for Smith? "It's certainly a gamble on his part, since the number has certainly become as recognizable as his signature" reported a source close to the team. It might prove costly to other quarterbacks as they could confuse Lucas with an offensive player because, "some of these guys aren't real bright" says the source.

-- Charles Scott and David Chandler
Posted by Observer Sports on August 4, 2008

 

I don't even know how to respond to this stupidity.