Saturday’s Ravens-Patriots game included an intriguing postscript. Baltimore receiver Steve Smith and a former NFL player turned radio host nearly got into a fistfight.
According to CSN New England, Smith and Jermaine Wiggins had an altercation in Gillette Stadium as the Ravens were boarding the team bus. Wiggins, who played with Smith in Carolina during the 2002 and 2003 seasons, currently works as a radio host in Boston. Wiggins apparently referred to Smith as a “bully” on the air, and Smith found out about it.
Scott Zolak, who works on the Patriots’ game-day broadcast and witnessed the exchange, explained the situation to 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Felger & Mazz Show. Here’s what Zolak said, from CSNNE.com.
“So [Smith] sees Wiggy and he’s like, ‘Yo, what’s up?’ [Wiggy] says, ‘Hey, Steve, what’s up?’ [Smith] is like, ‘No, dude, what the [bleep’s] up?’” Zolak said.
“Wiggy’s like, ‘Aw, now, now you’re swearing in front of my kids. . . . And he’s like, ‘You gotta step up.’ And then it starts getting nasty.
“Steve’s like, ‘Man, you called me a bully. What’s up with that? You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to [bleep] you, right now.’” (We’re assuming he said more than just the one word that was bleeped. Otherwise, well. . . . Never mind.)
Others intervened, with Smith “yappin’ and yappin’” as he got on the bus and Wiggins, apparently no longer concerned about the things his kids may hear, giving it back to Smith verbally.
“‘I’ll tell you what you are,” Wiggins said, via Zolak. “You’re the same thing you always been! . . . . ‘You won’t do nothing! You won’t do nothing! You’re a bitch! You won’t do nothing!’ ”
Smith has had multiple past incidents with teammates, but in recent years he apparently has matured. And while it’s fine for him to take issue with Wiggins’ comments, threatening to “bleep” him (or whatever Smith specifically said) isn’t the mature way to resolve the situation. Or the best way to erase the characterization that Smith is a bully.