Panthers Win, Can’t Avoid Controversy

Even when they win, the Carolina Panthers just can't catch a break this season. Now, Steve Smith says he's “no longer an asset to the team.” And Dante Wesley is suspended for one game after a late hit.

Join the Carolina Panthers News Facebook Page

"Dante Wesley never had a history of being a dirty player,” says former teammate Mike Minter. Minter is urging fans to judge Dante Wesley on his history rather than a late hit on Tampa Bay returner Clifton Smith. "For him to say, 'I didn't know' well, that's true. The man don't (sic) have a history of doing something crazy like that and that's what we have to go on: history,” says Minter.

WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE DANTE WESLEY HIT

Coach John Fox also taking up for the veteran special teams player, saying: “It was just a judgment error. These guys play the game, they play it at a high level, it’s fast. I hate to see it. I hate to see it for their guy or our guy. But sometimes it happens. It’s not intentional,” said Fox.

Jeff Beaver is the executive director for the Charlotte Sports Commission, a group that recruits amateur sporting events to the Queen City, and relies on the reputation of pro teams like the Panthers. Beaver's take is that Wesley probably did something he wishes he could take back. "In the heat of the battle, he almost hurt somebody and it looked real bad. He'll pay for it," says Beaver.

Wesley will pay for it; the one game suspension without pay will cost him $36,000.

Meantime, Steve Smith's comment about "not being an asset to the team anymore" is also generating a lot of hype with some local sports talk radio hosts even wondering if the time has come to trade the star receiver. Minter calls talk of a trade "crazy," saying, "That's unbelievable that somebody would say trade Steve Smith and let's get someone else. Who you gonna get? This man is one of the top receivers in the league. You don't go get somebody to replace that."