Don't Count on the Panthers Suspending Smith

One day after his reported rumble with teammate Ken Lucas came to light, it is being reported that the Panthers are mulling over whether to suspend Steve Smith. Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen. The Panthers might make some toothless gesture like suspending the perennial Pro Bowler for a preseason game, but there's little chance he'll miss anything meaningful.

The most prominent NFL teammate fights in recent memory (Bill Romanowski vs. Marcus Williams, Michael Westbrook vs. Stephen Davis) did not elicit suspensions. Laughably, Romanowski was suspended for one quarter of a preseason game (Williams, whose orbital bone was fractured in the fracas, later sued him), while Westbrook was fined $50,000 but missed no time.

And of course, the elephant in the room is that, other than arguably Jake Delhomme, there's not a player Carolina can ill-afford to lose more at this point than Smith. The Panthers won't admit that's a factor, but common sense says that it is.