Steve Smith Sr. will go down in folklore as one of the Carolina Panthers' greatest ever players. But the former wide receiver is doing a fantastic job lately of losing the good graces of fans.
His latest outburst crossed the line. And not for the first time in recent months, Smith's comments were way wide of the mark.
This all centered on Smith's thoughts on the criticism being received by first-round pick Xavier Legette. The wideout has endured a rough start to the season, which follows on from his rollercoaster rookie campaign. Concerns are warranted, but that didn't stop a verbal tirade from the ex-Carolina hero during a radio appearance.
Steve Smith Sr.'s vicious tirade on Carolina Panthers fans was way off the mark
Smith launched a scathing attack on Panthers fans on WFNZ's Kyle Bailey Club. He accused Carolina's fan base of constantly complaining, being fair-weather supporters, and being almost unworthy of voicing their opinions, considering they've done nothing in the NFL.
"That's what this city does well, is b**** and complain. Now I know some people aren't gonna like to hear this, but if you're gonna ride and die with your team, ride or die. That's probably the problem with this weak a** city, is the fair-weather fans. And I said that that way because I've been in this city for 25 years now. And I've heard complaining about everything, no matter what the case is. These young men, including myself, just like young women, nobody's perfect. But when you ain't never did it—beyond elementary, high school... and then, yes, you buy a ticket, yes, you earn your way and right to give your criticism. But don't poop on the guy as if he's not out there trying to do his best."Steve Smith Sr. via SI
Smith is so out of pocket with this one. It's a short-sighted opinion that completely misses the bigger picture. Throwing his support behind Legette is fine, but this went way beyond that.
The former two-time All-Pro doesn't exactly have the best reputation these days. People are looking at him differently, and this aggressive verbal attack on the team's fans was utterly unjustified.
Let's take a look at what Panthers fans have had to put up with, shall we...
They have never had back-to-back winning seasons in the franchise's history spanning 31 years. They have gone through six permanent or interim head coaches since David Tepper bought the team. They haven't had a winning record since 2017. They were the NFL's laughingstock for about four years with nothing to cheer legitimately. They haven't won a playoff contest since beating the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game almost a decade ago.
And yet, they still care. They still support their team. They still spend their hard-earned money to watch the team and buy their merchandise. They still instill this fandom in their children and family members. They have passionately supported the team and each other throughout some truly dark days.
That's pretty far removed from fair weather. Smith would do well to remember that next time he opens his mouth for clout.