Since being unceremoniously released in 2014, Steve Smith hasn't had much of a relationship at all with the organization he largely put on the map during his dominant and entertaining run as one of the NFL's best wide receivers. Most Panthers fans would agree - now that Smith is multiple years removed from his playing career and approaching five years since he left the organization - that it's well past time to correct that.
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And what better way to get it done than to do the obvious: Have Steve Smith officially retire as a Panther, retire the No. 89, and begin the process of adding him to the team's Hall of Honor.
Before we go any further, let's explain what the Hall of Honor is exactly. After all, it's a pretty exclusive club that's home to only one legendary Panthers player: Sam Mills. The man who coined the team motto, 'Keep Pounding' was actually placed into the Hall well before he was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and his famous pre-game speech during the Panthers' 2004 playoff run ever occurred. Mills was inducted by team owner Jerry Richardson in Sept. of 1998 - one year after his retirement - because he stood for everything the Panthers wanted from a player and person during his three-year run in Carolina (1995-97) to close out his professional career.
Outside of Mills, only two others have been named to the Hall: former Panthers general manager Mike McCormack (inducted in 1997) and the team's PSL owners as a group (inducted in 2004) for financing Bank of America Stadium and helping to bring the NFL to the Carolinas.
So, in summation, one player, one executive and fans. Not much of a Hall of Honor.
And, to no surprise, Mills' No. 51 is the only number the Panthers have ever made officially off-limits.
And what better way to get it done than to do the obvious: Have Steve Smith officially retire as a Panther, retire the No. 89, and begin the process of adding him to the team's Hall of Honor.
Before we go any further, let's explain what the Hall of Honor is exactly. After all, it's a pretty exclusive club that's home to only one legendary Panthers player: Sam Mills. The man who coined the team motto, 'Keep Pounding' was actually placed into the Hall well before he was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and his famous pre-game speech during the Panthers' 2004 playoff run ever occurred. Mills was inducted by team owner Jerry Richardson in Sept. of 1998 - one year after his retirement - because he stood for everything the Panthers wanted from a player and person during his three-year run in Carolina (1995-97) to close out his professional career.
Outside of Mills, only two others have been named to the Hall: former Panthers general manager Mike McCormack (inducted in 1997) and the team's PSL owners as a group (inducted in 2004) for financing Bank of America Stadium and helping to bring the NFL to the Carolinas.
So, in summation, one player, one executive and fans. Not much of a Hall of Honor.
And, to no surprise, Mills' No. 51 is the only number the Panthers have ever made officially off-limits.
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It's beyond time for someone to add to that list.
With Richardson on his way out, and Tepper coming in, what better time to make a splash than now? Of course, this wouldn't be just making a move just to make one. This would be bestowing a major honor to someone because he actually deserves this.
It should be noted Smith - due to a stipulation invoked in the 2000s that says players can't be enshrined until five years after their official retirement - can't be officially placed into the Hall of Honor until 2021. But that doesn't mean the Panthers can't go ahead and retire his number, and put the wheels in motion on his addition to the team's exclusive club.
The man who fired Smith - former general manager Dave Gettleman - is long gone. There's about to be a change in ownership. The things that have been stopping this from happening in the past should now be out of the way.
Panthers fans adore Smith. Not only was he a tremendous talent who overcame a lack of size with a ridiculous amount of work ethic, passion and desire, but he's the franchise's all-time leader in virtually every receiving category, he was the part of multiple iconic, franchise-altering plays, and he stills calls Charlotte home. The way Smith approached interviews, yelled into cameras and talked trash to the opposition may have rubbed some people the wrong way. But it was part of what made Smith so beloved around the Carolinas. His combination of talent, attitude and desire was unmatched. As a complete package, he was a once-in-a-generation player. And for many people's money, he's the best player in franchise history.
No matter how hard they try, or how many comparisons are made, the Panthers will never see anyone like him again. Smith looks like a future Pro Football Hall-of-Famer, and he will be the first bronze bust in that Hall that played the majority of his career in Carolina.
It's beyond time for someone to add to that list.
With Richardson on his way out, and Tepper coming in, what better time to make a splash than now? Of course, this wouldn't be just making a move just to make one. This would be bestowing a major honor to someone because he actually deserves this.
It should be noted Smith - due to a stipulation invoked in the 2000s that says players can't be enshrined until five years after their official retirement - can't be officially placed into the Hall of Honor until 2021. But that doesn't mean the Panthers can't go ahead and retire his number, and put the wheels in motion on his addition to the team's exclusive club.
The man who fired Smith - former general manager Dave Gettleman - is long gone. There's about to be a change in ownership. The things that have been stopping this from happening in the past should now be out of the way.
Panthers fans adore Smith. Not only was he a tremendous talent who overcame a lack of size with a ridiculous amount of work ethic, passion and desire, but he's the franchise's all-time leader in virtually every receiving category, he was the part of multiple iconic, franchise-altering plays, and he stills calls Charlotte home. The way Smith approached interviews, yelled into cameras and talked trash to the opposition may have rubbed some people the wrong way. But it was part of what made Smith so beloved around the Carolinas. His combination of talent, attitude and desire was unmatched. As a complete package, he was a once-in-a-generation player. And for many people's money, he's the best player in franchise history.
No matter how hard they try, or how many comparisons are made, the Panthers will never see anyone like him again. Smith looks like a future Pro Football Hall-of-Famer, and he will be the first bronze bust in that Hall that played the majority of his career in Carolina.
But the Panthers shouldn't let Canton beat them to the punch. Tepper and the powers at be should quit wasting any more time. The 25th anniversary of the Panthers is arriving in 2019, and there's no better time to make such an announcement.
Put Smith where he belongs: In the Carolina Panthers Hall of Honor. And retire the 89.
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