The league with its suspensions and fines is letting players know it will not allow any player to knock each another person out just because this is a collision sport, hence the NFL has suspended Carolina Panthers safety Dante Wesley for one game due to his hit to the neck and head of Tampa Bay Buccaneers punt returned Clifton Smith.
Wesley will also be suspended without pay, due to the severity of the hit to Smith. Wesley got off his feet and knocked down the defenseless Smith while he was waiting to catch the punt. The league is now putting its foot down and coming down hard on players who launch themselves at others or look like they intend to hurt the other athlete.
Though Smith had not signaled a fair catch off the punk return, Wesley said the mistiming of the hit resulted in him almost knocking Smith out.
“I was just trying to make a play,” Wesley said. “You can check my record. … I’ve never really tried to hurt anybody.”
Panthers head coach John Fox agrees with Wesley and did not believe his player was trying to injure Smith.
“It’s not intentional. It’s not done maliciously,” Fox said. “You’ve got to make a split-second decision. It’s no different than driving to work and putting your brakes on. Sometimes accidents happen.”
After the hit on Smith, both teams got involved in a scuffle and Wesley was penalized and ejected from the game.
After Wesley was ejected, Carolina allowed a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that was scored by Tampa Bay’s Sammie Stroughter.
Ray Anderson is the NFL’s vice president of football operations and in the letter to Wesley Anderson mentioned Wesley’s rule violation as the reason for the penalty.
“Your actions are of particular concern in light of the emphasis that our office has placed on developing and enforcing rules designed to protect players from injury, including head and neck injuries. The safety of our players is paramount to all of us in the NFL,” Anderson said.
With the Panthers currently 2-3 and playing the Buffalo Bills this weekend, will Carolina be without Wesley for this Sunday’s game.
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