Fujita hit on Steve Smith
 

Chris Mortensen reported the NFL will be reviewing it. I know Fox was upset about it but it didn't look intentional and it barely looked like his helmet actually touched his knee.

Fujita apparently caught his foot on the field and hit Smiths knee with his helmet as a result. I was perplexed when I saw that incident. The ball was no where near Smith when it happened so I figured (maybe hoped) that it was due to slipping or some other non-malicious event.

Yeah I am surprised this hasn't come up here yet... I didn't like it... it won't look good if its reviewed. I am not buying his foot caught the grass. This isn't as bad as the stomping of the head incident but its not that far off.

Looks like a $3K or less to me (if one at all). It was marginal helmet and more shoulder IMO. It did look bad though. I'm not for dirty play or players but some badass rep on D isn't the worst thing in the world either.

Well there is a problem with dirty play to take out a player... its assalt.

Fujita gives Panthers scare
Linebacker says low hit on Smith was accidental
Monday, October 02, 2006
By Herb White
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers held their collective breath when Saints linebacker Scott Fujita crashed into Steve Smith's legs Sunday.

So did Smith -- for a few anxious moments.

The Panther receiver clutched his lower left leg in the first half of Carolina's 21-18 win at Bank of America Stadium before hobbling to the sideline. He sat out a few plays, but came back to finish with 10 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown to help hand New Orleans its first loss of the season.

"I ran a little pivot route, and the next thing I know, I kind of fell or whatever," Smith said. "It kind of scared me a little bit, but that's football. I'm healthy, I'm fine, and that's all that matters."

It does for the Panthers, who started the season 0-2 while Smith battled hamstring issues. When he went down against the Saints, an impatient hush fell upon the 73,392 in attendance, wondering if Carolina's best offensive player would get up. Once Smith was up, he and Fujita cleared the air about the play in which Fujita hit Smith on a pass that wasn't throw his way.

"I felt bad about that," Fujita said. "I just kind of stumbled into him. I went and told him it was by no means intentional. It was just one of those plays. Right when it happened, I felt bad about it. But he understood."

http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index...230.xml&coll=1

I really do not think that it will amount to anything.

I believe Scott. I never thought it was intentional. In the light of that idiot Haynesworth though, they have to look at it.

Haynesworth has issues... that was despicable what he did. 5 games w/o pay is not enough. He could have blinded the guy.

Been looking at the Panthers Boards and they are so livid about this. I have looked at this video and does not look like it was intentional. Just like he said that he stumbled and fell. They are talking about taking out Horn or Colston in the next game in NO on the Panthers Boards.
Even people in my office our practically saying he should be suspended for the next 6 to 8 games for this???!
Paul

Well there is some grey area on this but you don't stumble like that or even "kind of stumble". I do think players/teams need to consider what they are doing and SPORTSMANSHIP!

I think anyone who studies the tape can not for 100 percent be sure that it was not intentional.

What? It was kinda clear he stumbled. At least clear to me: Here's a clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ7ZWkxIhOg&NR

Watch his left foot when he starts to go forward. And he doesn't put the helmet into the knee, it's his shoulder. I think he tripped on the NFL logo. '

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHq3cxY_Mbk&NR

In fast motion, you can even see the "hitch" as he's falling. His legs do a short step.

Euphoria,
Who are you with?
Scott is our player and if he says he didn't do it intentionally then I believe him.
You are sounding like the Panthers Forums.
What is wrong? I saw it too he did not look like he was going all out to knock the crap out of him.
Give him a break. It does not look like what Haynesworth did.

There is an article stating where Scott and Steve already spoke about it. For some reason my computer is having a hard time with www.nola.com/saints but if you go.....look for the Fujita scare article and he talks about the hit and his conversation with Smith after.

You mean that article someone already posted and linked to about 5 posts up? lol :P

No look at the clip and be unbias about it... he was making a move as if Smith was about to catch a ball and was going to make the hit as the ball got there. But, he was early and the ball wasn't even in motion yet. If you stumble you go down more and not out towards a person's knee. He was anticipating the pass/catch and went for a timed hit. There is no stumble, his foot did not catch the turf. I am no where's near saying its as bad as the Cowboys/Titams situation but and it may not have been intentionally to take out a player... but it was not nessasary and could have drew a penalty.

Ok...thats it. I am going to create my own whodi doll and buy an extremely large supply of pins and neeldes. Beware whodi......BEWARE! LOL.

I didn't see that but I'm glad someone else already did see it then. Fujita is not a dirty player....he just works his arse off thats all!

What? How do you know where Scott fujita goes if he stumbles headed in the direction of Steve Smith? That's absurd. I am sticking by Scott. It was not intentional. He made a move towards Smith and kinda short stepped with his left leg and went down. The fast motion video shows the hitch the best. Have you EVER known Scott fujita to be associated with a dirty play? Believe the man.

Fujita apologized during the game, not long after the play.

To me, that's not the actions of a dirty player looking to hurt someone.

Had he done it on purpose, I think the apology only would've come had he been questioned about it after the game, and knew he was caught.

I thought it looked bad the first time I saw it, but after watching it in slow-mo and in realtime, it seems fairly clear that his foot slipped on the NFL logo. Add in the Fujita's lack of a rep as a dirty player and I think it was an accident. If he felt it was dirty, Steve Smith never would've let anyone hear the end of t and everyone would be talking about it, especially in light of the Haynseworth incident.

It's OBVIOUS from the replay he cut and fell into Smith. No doubt in my mind after looking at the replay.

fairly isn't 100 percent... sure. Its very questionable sorry.

I dont like the Panthers so I won't comment, I also don't like the Bucs or Falcons either.

Have you actually watched it, or are you just parroting Dr. Z?

I am a Saints fan, but I think if the Titans player got five games, then the Scott should atleast get fined. Why punish one and not the other?

I have an idea.
Why don't we just take their pads off.
We can put belts around their waists.
Add velcro.
Attach flags.
We have flag football.
HOORAY!
:cheering:
I would watch that every Sunday!
Life Sucks,
Get a Helmet!

Um, what? Did you SEE what Haynesworth did to Gurode? He 1) kicked off Gurode's helmet, 2) stomped his exposed face with his cleats, 3) stomped his exposed face AGAIN with his cleats, 4) seemed absolutey INCREDULOUS the refs were even gonna flag him, and 5) got pissed he was thrown out of the game. He later apologized after EVERYONE roasted his arse. Fujita bit on a pump by Delhomme, slipped into Smith's knee, and apologized DURING THE GAME DIRECTLY TO SMITH. It's not even remotely finable.

There was even an interview-type article to get Hartwig's and a few other Panther players' responses to the Haynesworth incident and guess what? Not one mention of Fujita.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6029430

Aside from Dr Z as in Zero and a few Panther fans I think this thread is the most "press" the incident as gotten.

:peace:

Chris Mortensen mentioned it on Monday Night Countdown and I was really surprised, so that's why I posted it on here because, like you said, NO ONE else was talking about it! I just thought maybe it was a bigger deal than we were hearing about. If not -- and I don't think it is -- why mention it on a major sports program. I mean, come on, it's not like it was T.O.'s knee for god's sake. If it was, we'd have to talk about it 24 hours a day.

It was mentioned by Andersen because it was a questionable hit on one of the league's stars.
Of course, after seeing the replay, the NFL is not going to fine Fujita.

On any given week, it's maybe questionable. On the same week that we saw Haynesworth, it's not even a blip. It just pissed me off cos it shouldn't have even been mentioned in the same breath as Haynesworth; and the other talking heads agreed that, yes, OF COURSE, it should be reviewed.