By PFW staff
Aug. 1, 2008

Updated at 7:50 p.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 1

A fight between Steve Smith and Ken Lucas broke out at Panthers practice Friday morning.

Both players were on the sideline and had been jawing at each other before the altercation began. Smith and Lucas had scrapped in practice once or twice before Friday’s fight. A crowd of teammates quickly rushed to the scene once things became physical. Reports indicate Smith was pulled away by Jon Beason and by the end, Lucas had to be carted off the field with a large gash under his eye and a bloody face.

While Lucas received attention from the medical staff, Smith was reportedly escorted off the practice field by Panthers GM Marty Hurney.

Head coach John Fox told reporters he was unsure if any suspensions would be handed out. He added that it’s “part of football and you deal with it.”

A source told PFW that Smith went to Lucas after the incident and apologized.

Both players left camp and returned to Charlotte, approximately 80 miles from the team's Spartanburg, S.C., offseason training site. The team gave no further report on the extent of Lucas' injuries.

This isn’t the first time Smith has taken a swing at a teammate. In 2002, he punched Anthony Bright during a film session.

Fox is still sorting out how to deal with the latest tussle, but judging by his past responses, a suspension is a very real possibility.

After Smith hit Bright in ’02, Fox’s first year as a head coach, Smith was suspended for a game.

There were indications that Smith had matured in recent years. In Week Three last season, things became heated between Smith and then-Falcons CB DeAngelo Hall. Smith, though frustrated, maintained his composure while Hall couldn’t manage his own. Hall was flagged for three penalties, including a personal foul and unsportsmanlike conduct, on a key Panthers possession. Carolina won the game, 27-20.