Carolina Panthers legend Steve Smith Sr. is a man of his word.
One month ago, the franchise’s all-time leading receiver addressed the possibility of his team acquiring Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield—who hasn’t exactly been his favorite player. Here’s what he said:
“I’ve been very critical of Baker Mayfield. I’ve said a lot of negative things towards him. Take it for what you want. Assume whatever you wanna assume. But I’ll say this—if Baker Mayfield is released or happens to come to the Carolina Panthers, how will I respond?
“My response is—you support your team. You may not like—just like the people watching this or listening to this, they didn’t like me. But they supported the team, the team that I was on. So if Baker Mayfield comes to the Carolina Panthers, as the preseason color analyst, I will accept him the same way you accept Sam Darnold. The same drum that I’m beating for Sam Darnold, and all those other guys, I have to beat it for Baker Mayfield.”
