Carolina Panthers players ejected for kicking player in groin (GIF)
By Mike Dyce
Last night the Carolina Panther’s defense carried the team to a victory over the Super Bowl champions. Cam Newton said that the offense let the defense down in the game. The defense and special teams accounted for 4 touchdowns last night.
That wasn’t the only way the offense let the team down. Running back Armond Smith, who is fighting for a roster spot, was ejected from last night’s game after kicking Baltimore Ravens linebacker Albert McClellan in the groin.
“Yeah, he kicked me, he got me,” McClellan said after the game, via the Baltimore Sun. “I think he thought I was holding him down. Our legs got tangled up. He hopped up and kicked me. I did my best to keep my cool.”
Ron Rivera described it as uncharacteristic of Smith.
“Armond is such a good, solid, young person for something like this to happen,” Rivera said. “He told me, ‘Coach, he twisted on me.’ And that’s unfortunate because that’s not the type of character that he is. He’s disappointed, and he’s very apologetic.
“And I know the league will have something to say about it. But just knowing who Armond is, that’s a tough one for him to swallow because that’s not his character. And that was most certainly out of his character.”
Needless to say, when a roster spot isn’t guaranteed it wasn’t a smart decision.