Panther’s Wesley Delivers Flying Shoulder

On Sunday the struggling Buccaneers got kicked while they were down. The kicker in this situation would be Dante Wesley from the Carolina Panthers. Towards the end of the first half, Carolina punted away to the Buccaneers Clifton Smith. Smith got absolutely punished by Wesley who came in with a flying shoulder. The hit left Smith, who sustained a concussion, lying on the field while his teammates rushed the field in his defense. The Charlotte Observer says that Clifton Smith never signaled for fair catch. If he did not signal, then he has to be prepared to get hit…once he catches the ball. The reason this hit is dirty is because the ball isn’t even close to Smith when he gets laid out. Obviously Wesley is saying he didn’t mean to do it and maybe he didn’t, but the fact remains that the NFL has to protect its players. In this case, that may be a hefty fine and possible suspension for Dante Wesley.