Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith doesn’t take guff. On Saturday, that character trait was on full display following a tough 35-31 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
On his way to the Ravens’ team bus, Smith approached former Patriots tight end Jermaine Wiggins, who was also a teammate of Smith’s in 2002 and ’03 with the Carolina Panthers. Wiggins, now a Boston media personality with Hot 96.9 radio, was standing in the tunnel. From there, things got wild, per CSN New England.
Smith had heard about Wiggins calling him a bully and a bad guy to have in the locker room on the radio, and apparently wanted to get physical over it. The exchange according to former New England quarterback Scott Zolak:
“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?’
“Wiggy’s like, ‘Aw, now, now you’re swearing in front of my kids.’ “(Bertrand had said Wiggins was in the area with his wife and two sons.) “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.'”
The potential fight had to be broken up by a litany of people, including Patriots receiver Brandon LaFell and former New England linebacker Matt Chatham. Even with that, the words kept on.
“Chatham took [Smith] and said, ‘Man, you gotta get on the bus now,’ ” continued Zolak. “And Steve Smith just kept yappin’ and yappin’ . . .
“Now, Wiggy’s like Kevin Garnett, pointing at him over the top: ‘I’ll tell you what you are: You’re the same thing you always been!'”
Marc Bertrand, another Boston radio personality, stated Wiggins finished off the yelling:
“So Wiggy’s screaming: ‘You won’t do nothing! You won’t do nothing! You’re a bitch! You won’t do nothing!'”
Finally, Smith got on the team bus and left town, leaving on an odd note. Then again, Smith has never been known to keep his mouth shut, so it is not shocking.
Unfortunately, the Ravens and Patriots don’t play each other in 2016’s regular season. Here’s to hoping for another playoff game between the two at Foxboro.
