Steve's Truth

side of the table. What's going on, man, How are you feeling? How are you feeling? I'm good, good, good good man. Back to it, cut to a podcast Agent eighty nine. Smithy, my brother, you're feeling good. I think so, think so. Yeah, I got I gotta checked my box. I checked once a year. And I'll let you know. What's that box? My care box. However you gotta check it. However you got to get that off your list. Let's do it, man, But man, let's dive right into it.

Um Man, I'm excited. There's a lot of reasons I know that you want to start this podcast. And we started this podcast together and one of them that I think is really cool is that you've always had this passion and when you and when you talk to me and when you gave me your vision, the vision was you wanted to let athletes and entertainers tell their own narratives and tell their own troops. So, man, I'm why is that important to you? Why is that important to you?

When you look at it? When you look at an article, UM, say, let's just say a beat writer and I think it's I think it's fifty fifty. When you look at the beat writer, you'll say that be right, represents um, you know, he's the middleman and or middle woman from that player or that team that they have been assigned to and the fans to the public, to the public or folk.

You know, not all fans. You know that there's some people that like a team but don't like an individual where and there be times where the person who's writing an article they only really see that individual from open locker room, and in that open locker room, you see that individual and you get whatever that individual is that day. And so they report that not all in every beat writer's friends, and they also the athlete only gives that beat writer what they want to be writer to see.

So sometimes the beat writer or the person who writes the article, I don't want to say misrepresents, but I don't think it is as clear the relationship that the athlete and the and and the journalists have. That's some journalists, man, I have great relationships or like thereof. And it's not because I disliked them. It's just you don't I met him, they wrote an article, they asked me a question about somebody, and then they move on or we move on and

go our several ways. But yet that doesn't mean that I have a good sense of that individual, just like I don't believe they have a good sense of me. And the reason I say that is I'm a people watcher and I and I watch people, and I can I watch body language, and I cannot get a sense of an individual. I don't think it's fair for me to say, well, I got a sense of an individual.

I asked them ten questions and I got ten short answers, and I I know that person's I know what they're thinking, I know who they are as a as a man or a woman. I know their makeup. I don't believe that's accurate, and so sometimes people are writing articles or journalist are writing articles with a little bit of with a little bit of uh of authenticity or credibility that well, I'm writing this article about Exhibit A, and I've been around him well enough I know exactly what he's thinking.

I don't think that's a fair statement. I don't think that's even accurate. But they they don't present it that way, but they shure write articles as if they know exactly what's going on in that person. Hell, sometimes I don't even know what's going on in myself, so I don't know how an individual knows exactly. I mean, I I just think it's I think it's unfair, um unfair stigma that some journalists have. As as an athlete, Yeah, how

does how does that make you feel? Yeah, sometimes it's sometimes I just kind of like out to be misrepresented. I think it. I think when you first do it, you get irritated. I think over time, you just it's just kind of part of it. And I and I I think that's sad that someone can write an article without you know, not knowing the person or having that much understanding of that individual, but yet writing in depth article about someone and somebody somebody's listening to say, well,

that's not fair. Listen, I'm not saying it's fair. I just think it's interesting that a person can write an article in depth article about someone and they met them for five minutes or ten minutes out the day, and then they watch film with a lot of times no audio, and they go, you know what, this is how this person is. It's just is their favorite color, this is what they like. Blah blah blah blah. I just I don't I don't think it's I just I just think

it's interesting, unique, misleading. Yeah, and and I know that's also a reason why you decided creating this platform, us having this this this podcast to not ask those kind of got your questions to get an athlete in that kind of situation to clickbait. For sure. One thing I love is that we get behind or inside of the jersey of an individual. And for you, I want to take a little time. I know you well beyond your jersey, well beyond you know ah and eighty nine and who

you were on the field. I want to make sure our listeners get the same thing. Just in this short time of podcasts, and we were literally just talking about it. You know, we're fancy now, so we have pre production meetings and and we get a chance to you know, we got this. We gotta deal with our hearts, so we have things structured in a way. We were just talking about how social media this day is quick to hyper sensationalize a lot of stuff anything. You know, you

can realize how narratives flip, they changed, they're stretched. It's very hard to write an article characters, but yet they do it all the time. They get crashed shorten to that whatever you say gets shortened to just a hunter forty character. You wonder why the context gets missed, or you wonder why that athlete doesn't want to talk to

those individuals. Because now we're breaking news on social media, right, Well, my cousin Pookie heard that Leroy told James and such and such as on the team anymore, and we break that news, right and that now that person is called an insider and they have a source, even though their source is a cousin who knows someone who worked at

the stadium, who does who works at the parking lot daily? Right, So because of those you know, different narratives, you know, different just have have lately come up a lot of stories from your time playing in Carolina with Cam Newton. Things have resurfaced. What would you like to clear up on the relationship with with Cam. I don't think it's anything to clear up because I don't really believe there's

a negative relationship. I just think that the relationship is what it is, which I mean it's it's it's not a deep relationship. I think it's a very shallow relationship that has nothing to do with necessarily Kim did something wrong or right, or me did something wrong. I think it's just kind of Both of our makeups were both tours, so we're very stubborn. Um. And the makeup of my horoscope right right, and then the other part is um right. I just I guess the pros and cons of being

a teammate to Steve Smith is this. Um. The pros is I'm gonna work my butt off every single day. The con is, man, I wear my emotion on my sleeve and on the practice field. So if we had a bad week that week and we didn't perform, well, I'm on everybody. I'm expecting everybody to practice as hard as men. If we don't, it's gonna be a problem, right, That isn't that? And I said that's a negative? Is

it's not that? Well? I think it's a negative because not everybody, I mean, I got four kids, and not not all my four kids have the same work ethic as each other. They all vary and it all depends on how are they motivated. So at times I rubbed, I brushed up against teammates the wrong way, and and there are some teammates brushed up against me the wrong way. That that's just that's called a that's called a job. Right.

Do you do you think that that wears on players orgy? Oh? Yeah, definitely, because it's not every Not everybody wants to be on Steve's page. Steve don't want to be on everybody's page either. It all varies. Mm hmm. What what do you What do you think are the pros and cons of being a teammate of Steve Smith? Um? I always I've always been un Let's do the bad news first, Yes, yes, yes, so the bad news is um man, I'm you know, oh, I think the biggest I'm not I look forward. I

look ahead way too much. I don't live in a present. I don't work in the present um And what I mean by that is great example, i can catch ten passes, have X amount of yards, and I'll be stuck on the two passes I dropped, Like I mean, just just upset of myself for those Is that a way to trick your mind into not setting on what you achieved, is always thinking of what you can improve Because I'm

of course I did not play. I'm not a Hall of Fame receiver like you are, but I know that I do the same exact thing in my day to day life. Like I can't settle on what I've accomplished. I'm always thinking of what's next, what do I need to It's my way of staying humble. I go even deeper.

I'm never satisfied and always always piste off. Yeah, right, every single day when I used to come to work, always thinking ahead, all thinking ahead to the point of where, bro, we just won a game, so we could have played better. That's how I've always been, and even you know, even when I was a little kid, you know, and I don't necessarily know why, but that's just that's just kind of always better. Yeah, what's your relationship with formal guys teammates? Teammates. Man,

I'm probably wanted to. It's I'm probably one of the one of the guys. I mean, you got to think about over sixteen years, fifty three teammates, right, I don't even know that number. But that's a lot of health teammates. I don't have all those people on my phone. You don't agree with everyone. You know, some people like rant, some people like blue cheese. Right there. There's there's things

about teammates that I didn't like. And I know there's things about myself towards my former teammates that that didn't they didn't like. So, you know, there's guys I've talked to that neither. You know, various times we've changed numbers. I've changed numbers. Whereas it's reasons why, and it isn't I dislike someone and someone dislikes me someone. Sometimes it's just the lack of connection, you know. I'm I'm bad at following through and follow up. I mean, I'll text

a guy great example I had. I had um. I played with a guy named Wallace right for for two years. I had a buddy over at the house who was roommates with Wallace in college. I haven't talked to Wallace and seven and a half eight years Bro just connected, uh, probably two weeks ago, just by accident because he want his boy Mike, who's a friend of mine and our

wives are friends and that's how we connected. Like so you know, I'm bad at Then there's guys that you know, I play in the Baltimore with I still talk to but then I don't really talk to him. Got their number on my phone, I don't literally talk to them until I travel and see him. And you know, it's not flower relationships, right, Like, it's it's people that you. I think that's with anybody, right, Like there's people who you are, who's in your circle, right even if your

circle is a dot. But because that's why I'm I'm on it right now, like man a dot right now? You you and you and my dot brother. But appreciate that, but I'm glad I get your comfort. But um, but definitely think that's just the EBB and Flower relationship, right, is that you've got people that you're close with, and then you've got people who maybe you don't have but say to day contact, but when you catch up, it's

like yesterday. Yeah. But the other thing too is um and I've always been a loner though, so it's not all It's not even one of those like even guys that I text, man like, I'm really cool with Stewart. Me and Stewart actually have gone Stewart Jonathan Stewart. Me and Jon Stewart actually have the same financial guy, bro men Stewy have the same financial guy in this whole pandemic. We've text probably five times. Really, yes, and we have

the same final We're in the same investments. And the only reason I think I text on one time it's like Dann, I reached out the Stewart, right, I mean, real talk, it is how crazy it is. I'm a landlord of a Starbucks. Men Stewart are the landlords of this Starbucks. We rarely talk as the as the two landlords, as the two landlords own we rarely talk. I'll texting, Hey, we gotta do the taxes. He like, cool, that's it. Yeah, it sounds crazy me and you know, but that's just

kind of that's the basis. But I don't sit there and go and talk to me. But then we'll go play golf with each other, like last summer. Man, we need to do this more often. We're going to Angola. Yeah, man, we need to do this again. Don't do it right right right? So so switching gears a little bit. You know, we we talked about really utilizing this time for your truth and to really allow you, like like alluded to before,

now's your turn. It's getting inside the jersey being able to really for our listeners to clean a better understanding you. So I'm gonna cut straight to it with this question. Ultimately, why were you released from the Panthers and would you give me the truth that since a lot of these narratives to start to come back, I mean, the narratives

come back up. Here's what happened. I went on the co workers UM podcast and he asked me some questions and I basically, um, I really tried not to as an analyst talk about former teammates just because, man, I just when I watched ball, when I was when I was in the cafeteri and I was in the locker room,

I hated watching guys throwing the other guy, especially former teammates. Man, if you, if you, if you're a quarterback making whatever you're doing, especially as a wide receiver, man, I'm I'm I'm I'm just gonna tell the truth, Like if you ain't a very good quarterback, you make an X amount of dollars because the quarterbacks get all the glory and they get to place all the blame, right, And so I've always though, I've always seen that, like you know,

watching a guy throwing throwing, watching a receiver get thrown into a slant for a heada he dropped the ball, and say, oh, he gotta he gotta catch that man that quarterbacks defense and no he should, yeah, instead of putting him in concussion protocol. But um, so I was on the you know, on this podcast, and he asked me some questions about Cam and say, you know Cam the best I'm trying to figure out Cam was here. I was, I was. I played with Cam three years.

Um what I was three years? So Cam has been here, was with the Carolina Panthers eight to nine years. However, when something comes up, everybody comes to Steve as if like I'm the Cam whisper right there. Oh, let's ask Steve. Like I got a request through the Toronto radio station. Hey, we want to ask you about Canon going to New England Patriots, or we want to ask you Cam Newton about being released from the Panthers. I wasn't in that locker room. I don't know, and if I do know,

I'm not telling because here's what I don't do. I don't believe when I've been around teammates over sixteen years, fifty three men. Every year, you see and know things about guys. There there attributes and then also some things they do that you go, I don't agree with that. I don't talk about that, and I also expect them not to talk about my stuff. So I tried very I'm very diligent in making sure. Here's the fact. One time I had to talk about Luke kicklely Um because

he did something for the network. I texted Luke Keicklely and asked him was it cool that I talk about him in this manner? And I told my producers, Hey, let me check with Luke first, And when Luke got back to me, he said, man, yeah, you cool with that. I'm cool with that, And that's when I said or something. I tried not to talk about anybody, especially former teammates, good bad, without talking about talking to them directly, and

so I don't. I didn't text Cam, so I tried not to really same thing other than letting his play speak for himself, which is to do this baller right. But people have believed that I disliked him, that I hate Cam. I don't hate Cam. He's probably he is one of the most athletic quarterbacks I have ever played with. He's a quarterback that we had some good times. If we had some bad times, meaning when you're losing, that's

bad times, right. I've never seen heard somebody say, man, that was the best Ask what when we ever received? That just doesn't happen. So you know, I had a great our RelA. My relationship with Cam could be a lot at her. But I just don't really reach out. And maybe because I'm just a weirdo like that, but I don't reach out to the Angelo Williams. I don't reach out. I mean, there's a number of guys that I play with. The teammate that I talked to the most out of all my years are playing in the

National Football League. There's one guy, Jordan Gross. I played in college with Jordan Gross, and even in that we

made text once a month. So you're you're you're saying you're just not always the guy who is just always let me check in, Let me check in now that that's a bad and I get that, right, And I think probably all of us can can say that that we probably do that to a point where it's like, man, I should have should call my mom, right could I could have talked to my dad like, And I'm telling you right, like, I'm guilty of charge. We have to take a break. And more than anything, we got some bills.

I mean for some reason, why do you think that your name always gets attached to two? Because I think because of you know, obviously I'm chilling TV. I think people try to utilize my bluntness as a weapon against me. And then also too, it's called a uh self inflicted wound, right, And so you want to go down to chronological order. Here's what happened, I really believe on my exit. So let's just start all over. Let's start from the beginning. Give me the truth, give me your truth, my truth,

your truth. We started owing to well, actually we started on one, then on two just the thirteen season. Yes, okay, so you're what y'all played the Food and Honors in the playoffs, yeah, uh, and I had a busted up knee at that, so we start owing four. We start owing four, and we're leading up to it into that season. Um, Dave Gentleman as the general manager. I get a text on a on a on a husband and wife trip.

Me and my wife were in New York and Dave Gentleman is hired as a new general manager at texts from him from a I get a call from a New York number. I don't answer. I don't answer no numbers that I don't know. So then he and then he texts me, Hey this Dave Getleman. You know, love to meet you. I said, well, I'm on vacation with with my with my wife in New York. So, um, I hit you back when I get back in town. Several players have went up and introduced himself. I probably

went up there. I was back probably four or four days later. I probably don't go up there toil probably like two weeks later. I know that probably didn't vote well with him, didn't He didn't like that. But I'm just being myself. That was being I'm not gonna go up there, brown nose, and I'm not gonna go up there. Hey, you're not going up the tap dance. I went up there. Um like the little cocky, uh midget, I am. I went up there and was like hit him with the head, bob,

what up, hey, let's talk. So we talked and he he he basically gave me some things that he expected out of me. I said, all right, cool, And he gave me a book and I actually read the book. He told me, I want you to read this book is called half Time, Okay, and so it's basically the guy who wrote Halftime actually lives here in Charlotte. So it was really cool. Um. So he told me to read this book, and so I kind of I caught

what he was what was the book about? The book was about how do you want the end of your basically the end of your career to be? So he was I called what. I caught what he was putting down basically saying, look tightened up right, And so I like, all right. So I read the book and it was actually a really really good book. And the book started off basically saying this guy who was I believe it was in Texas. He was a really financially well off guy. His son fell off I think it off in the

boat or a wave runner or something. And this guy used all his money and his resources to save his son, but it didn't save him, and so he utilized the last the back half of his life really too kind of make a difference. And so it was a really good book. And I only read half of it because I'm a guy who reads a book and I'll take notes to the point of where I get it, and then I'll come back to it. So when he gave me that book, I I was he laid down some stuff. I picked it up and was like, oh, I see

what he's trying to do. So I was like, all right, you know, passive aggressive, I take it. You know, no, I just took it for what it was. He was basically trying to tell me something. So and he said some other things that I'm not gonna say, and I was like cool. So we go through this season and he tells me some things out he wanted me to work on. So I was like, all right, I'll see what I can do. So we go through the season. We start owing four. We start Onwing four. I'm thirty.

Whatever went three? You want to get the Giants? I just looked it up. So we beat the giants, but we were you beat the giants, that's that's your one. So I went to Then you lost to the Giants, then you lost at the Cordiners, so we weren't looking good and show what happened. So I tell my agent. I'm like, man, I'm done with this dog. I want out.

So my agent, actually, our team on the East Coast talked to several teams, but there was a team of a specific team and I'm not gonna name that was right there in the midst and said, look, if Steve want out, we love the how So I was with under arm Or at the time, and I go to on arm and I tell him, and this is a team I'm going with. Flip my flip, my color scheme for my shoes. Get ready, We're out now? Is this this during the season, just doing the cities? This is

the one. Make sure we give context the season. I said, I'm out. So Dave goes to Mr Richardson says Steve wants out. Blah blah blah. They said, man, let him out. I'm tired of this. Let him go. So I was like, all right, I'm good. Well they go and talk to a team, not the team that we already had work to deal with behind closed doors. They give me permission

to talk to the same ships four Nins. So I talked to the GM the four Niners at the time was Trent Balky or Balky, and so David Gelliman says, hey, we we got your trade. We give you permission to talk to the forty niners. And when we talked to the forty niners, um, you know, here's what you want now. The other team that we were that I want his name didn't really go into it because that team was only offering so much. In the four nine is offered more.

When I talked to Trent, Trent said, so I hear, um. You know, he was like, hey, we want you to we you are missing peace to win the Super Bowl. At the time, my my wife was pregnant with Deuce. This is our this is like early early October end up September. Only had a couple of weeks to make the decision. My wife's pregnant, and I didn't feel like going all the way to San Francisco. And then, if I'm be honest, I didn't want to go to San Francisco.

I did because San Francisco wanted me to avoid out my contract and there was a specific number I had built my basically, I built my whole portfolio um on my guaranteed money. And I was guaranteed like five point five million dollars or so, and so I wasn't gonna So they said, hey, he goes, we want you to avoid out your contract. I said, I'm not avoiding that out. They said, well, you you're happy to be So you telling me that you want to stay a Carolina Panther.

I said, no, I'm not voiding out my contract. He goes, So you're telling me and this is how I way. He said, So you're telling me you're happy to remain the Carolina Panther. I said, I'm not voiding on my Concha. I'm sticking to my guns on this. I'm not I'm not giving up because when I signed that that I signed that deal that was I felt that was my last deal. And that's how you see your family, Like you based you had based your finances around what you

were old. Yes, I Hey, it's like, look, I knew I was getting five million dollars for my tax return, so I started shopping based on my tax returns. Right, we all do it. And so I didn't go. And so Dave said don't tell anybody trying to tell anybody. I didn't tell us, so I mean, obviously I told my wife and so it didn't go through. So I stayed. So you're playing through. So I'm playing through the twenty thirteen season. My agent goes to Actually I was going

my normal President Day weekend. I'll go to Utah to ski, and so I'm on the slopes like I'm usually on the slopes, and guess what happened. Dave Yelman talks about me, Steve Smith Senior and Jordan Gross in the past at the combine. So going into fourteen, he's at the combine and then makes comments about you know, he says that Steven's and you know, he talks and the media picks it up and people calling me, and I'm on the slope, so I don't have no idea. So I get off

and I'm like what. Well, immediately some teams are calling like, yo, we'll take you. And there's another team on the west coast um that used to be that's now in l A but ain't in l A no more. But they were about two and a half hour drive from Yeah, helmet, and again I didn't want to go to san Diego. I just said San Diego. Then I don't want to go to San Diego because, um, all my families from there, and I just I just felt like it would be

hard to concentrate close to home. You And also too, I didn't believe that they can beat Denver Broncos who had Peyton Man. So I'm like not and you're in that division, yeah right, and so I'm like no, I'm straight. And so now I'm going through that whole process. So when I go through this whole process, David is like, you know, I'm texting and like, what's up. So I text a few people on the team that you know, we're talking to me about, like, bro, I don't know

what happened, what's going on in management? And they're like, this is a shock to us as well. So when I get on the phone with Dave, he comes back from the combine and this is what Dave says, and this is how new it was personal. He goes, well, I want you to think about your legacy. I said, alrighty half. He said, We're good. I'm gonna go home. When I get back, let's talk. So several days still, about three days go by and I and I call him.

It's like yo, or we're gonna meet. He's busy. I go to the facility and he says I call up there, and I say, hey, you know um his secretary. I said, can I speak? Can you tell Dave I'm in a building. His reply was, I'm in a meeting. I can't talk right now. I'm preparing for the draft. I said, all right, cool. So I'm like, all right, mhm right now on the wall. So I text Ricky Prole, you'll tell David quit dodging. So then I so the next day, two days ago, two days after that, I got to the Facity and

I get to work out in Okay. When I do the roker out, they know I'm in a building. Generally we are walking the building. People knowing that, they tell them. So, Uh, Ricky comes down. There s a smith. So I text Ricky and Ricky like, and Ricky's like, what's up? Man? I was like, hey, man, tell Davey over there. Um bull ship man. He dodging me up and so um. Then Nate. Then somebody else comes down, Uh Porter, Brian Porter Um. And I've known Porter for a long time,

worked this way through the organization. Great dude. Um he goes man Day said, you know when you finished, go talk to go talk to talk to me. I said, all right, so just let you know how my mind was. Um, just kind of how I was where I went and I basically I didn't even finish. I didn't even shower. I went up there, stank booty and all. I don't know if there was like want that action, boss man. I had on my I had my hood on and a hat. I walked in there and I sat right

on his leather chair with a sweat and everything. Sweat just dirty dirty ass ye just just straight disrespectful when I sat there and I was hunched up in the chair like whatever, you know. So we finally talked and he starts to talk and he's like, yo, this is what we're gonna do. All right, He said, listen, I don't know what's going on, but and this is his worst. He said, man, you're a shadow of what you used to be. He said that to you, he said, And I said all right, And he said, you know, I

don't know what's going on. Uh if you jealous of Cam or Cam jealous of you, but um man, we just this ain't gonna work. He said, I gave you some things to work on. And this is when the conversation turned. This is why I knew things were different. He goes, Um, I knew. He goes, you know, I gave you some things to work on, and you didn't. You didn't do any of them. I said, well, what things did I What things didn't I work on? His reply was I'm not getting into that right now, and

how do you know that you didn't do it? Do it? So I said, you're not getting into it right now. In my mind said you're not getting into her, so you already made your mind. Okay. So after that he asked, we talked. He asked me a few more questions and I said, so you know my wife is pregnant. Um. He said, we're gonna trade you. I'm sorry. Cool. So my son paid my oldest who's really good soccer player. We were on soccer trips. Uh. He was still playing a a U. If you any parents out there to

know man Au soccer travel soccer is a beast. And so we're and I remember we were in but that's the Maryland. Um. And we was out there and I was talking to my agent, Derek Fox, and um, there

was a few teams out there that were interested. But what they want me to do avoid on my contracts the same thing that what has happened in the season when you were saying that, because I was a thirties something, your thirties thirty four, thirty five year old man with a five and a half million dollar guaranteed on track, and everybody wants me to avoid it out. Nope, I'm not avoiding out. I know, I know finances, I know how it works. Somebody gonna take this money. I don't

know who, but somebody gonna, you know. So I was basically I was probably one of the last players to do it. I doubled Depps, so Carolina still owe me money and who my new team was gonna So I was, you know, I was double dipping. That's how I kind of said it. So I was just kind of sitting back, like, nah, so y'all trade all you want. Somebody's gonna pay this money, so you know, and then so what here's where it all started went downhill. Where it went downhill is basically

free agency starts. Reevers goes to New England, Golden Take goes leaves Seattle, and he goes to Detroit and I'm like one of the last guys air quotes, lingering in is he gonna be released? They tell me they're not releasing me till June one. So basically that this is roughly this was bro March. Free agency started and I'm a week and a half in free agency. They're trying to trade me, but no team is willing to trade because of my responsibility, because of the financial responsibility. And

he says we're gonna designated June one. So basically my agent goes ballistic because now you're holding me hostage. You are now saying these other teams are negotiating, but we're not. We basically you undermine. Now if I stopped right there, they say, oh, Steve, how is this possible? He did the same thing to Josh right right, and and so it became this thing where it was basically it was a piston contest between me and Dave. And here's an

unfortunate part. Cam was called the middle. And the part of why Cam was called the middle is because Cam didn't do anything. I don't I don't hate Cam. I love the dude. He's a fantastic player. Now I probably I'll say now I probably need to apologize that I was probably a dick, but I mean that's just that's who I was. You know. I expected excellence and I wanted to practice hard. And when we were, we were, and where you were in your career, yeah, where we were,

I was you go back and listen my stuff. I felt like I was a I was not just sound sexist, but I was a thirty thirty three year old woman who wanted the pregnancy in the ring now right, I want super Bowl now, well, Steve, it's just championship, so it's just preseason, so what right? And so I was always taught. I was always um, you you knew where you were in your walk in your career, and I didn't have a lot of time. You didn't have a lot of time, and I and personally, I didn't want

to continue to keep playing. Actually, what's funny. What it is interesting, if I would have stayed in Carolina, I would have probably retired after that year. I was no matter what, I would retire. Even when I was going through that process for the trade, I looked at my contract to see, so retirement crossed your mind in that in that whole process. So yeah, and so from there are.

It was just like, so when I say when, I say, when I walked out of there, So when when I left get Dave's office from that meeting, when he said he said, you know, we're gonna try to trade you, he was like, and I said, so what happens if you can't trade me? He goes, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I turned behind myself. When I looked, he said, what you're looking at? I said, well, I said, that bridge is already crossed. I said, I'm on the other side of the road. And what are

the options are out here right now? And so he, I think a little bit of he thought. I said, out of respect, I just want to know sooner or later because my wife is pregnant. We want to be able to deal with the doctors and all that stuff. He was like, yeah, I understand. He didn't care. And guess what, I didn't carre you. So now, for me, it was personal. It was it was bull versus bull, or mule versus mule, right, and so I just that's

how it was. And so you know, to the point of where should when Jordan retired and we went to his uh, I went to his retirement thing. Um, I didn't even speak to him. I just I didn't speak to day. They even speak to me. I speak to Ron round and speak to me. And then you know, so I had some conversations with some folks and this is discovery. A couple of years when I first got into TV, I thought I met with some folks in uh in the management up at Caroline. I said, listen,

I gotta do my job. I want to be professional, but man, we're gonna have to work some stuff out. I'm not gonna say who the individuals I talked to, but basically, this is what those individuals told me. And this is how I know. It's personal and people can believe it or what they what they want, but I like to look. I like to talk to people face to face. And this individual that I spoke to said, look, I was told stay out of the way. I was told by Dave to stay out of the way, and

it's it was you and him. I said, cool, I appreciate your honesty. For the first time, he said, well that interval said, well, listen, you know, we all got a job, we all got feed our families. But at the end of the day, that's what it was. I was all right, I respect that, and we left it at that, bro. And so I'm not speaking like people

are like, well, why are you come out now. The reason I'm talking about it now is one, I don't like the fact that everybody is saying that, you know, says that I was let go to let Cam grow. I was let go because I didn't really care about what the rules of the Carolina Panthers were because the person who was setting the rules was Dave Gentleman. I respect him as a man because guy calls me to because he's my elder, but I didn't respect how he went about his business. Yeah, that was it. The series

of events. It was a series of events that he tried. He he tried to bully a bullet and they're gonna work. Well, that ain't gonna work. Well, I understand you the you the biggest mule, or you the biggest you know, the the biggest bull in the in the rain. I ain't the biggest bull, but I I believe I can I can uh, I can go with yeah, And so it just was, it wasn't a it wasn't a very good relationship. And so I was like, man, I'm done I want

to be out. I've always wanted to know what it was like on other teams, because when you look at our game, man, there's some cool teams out there every there, there's all some teams that there's also some teams that suck, right, And I just wanted to be I was just done. I wasn't done with cam. I was just done with the process of the individual that was running the team.

And eventually everybody is saying, now, that individual it was a consistent, It was a consistent how he handled Grey Golds, and how we handled Thomas Davis, how he handled D'Angel, how he handled Josh Norman. So for me, I was just like, man, I've always been like for me, people can people gonna sit here and say more thanks Steve? How can you just abandon our team like that? How

can you just turn our back? I love Carolina, But I also knew that the individual wool who was running the team general manager, I didn't see eu the eye with him. I didn't see with my supervisor. So I did like most folks who in position that they're like, man, I don't need this man. You you fired. You can't fire me, right, And so that that's just really what happened, and and because of my makeup, bro I just was kind of like, man, you know, not even bought the

Carolina panels. It was just they were in a review mirror, and I just did not want to be associated with that individual who was still there. So a lot. If you notice when I was in Baltimore raven when and I was some of the things that just to let you know how it went down, when I was on the airplane coming to Baltimore, because the staff told me Dave Gentleman had someone on the staff called the Baltimore Ravens who told me that someone in the staff called

them and told them, man, Steve's a rotten teammate. He's not this, he's not that. So they tried to me what I felt that the way I was raised, So you're trying to you're trying to undermine my ability to earn money, and you're trying to shape a narrative that I'll simplify. You basically are telling me that you're gonna come out, you're gonna try to limit how I make money. So ultimately, who you affected my family? So if you're coming after my family, I'm a different dude. So that's

where it became personal. So it was bumped the entity. Yeah, bumped the entity because he was represented. Right, What did they say? When you work for a company, you represent what that company. So even going backwards before I was released, first of all, in February, I knew I was released. I already knew I was. It was just a matter of time before I was released. Two days before I was released, I put on the collar shirt, put on some slacks, and I went to Mr Richardson's house and

I talked to Mr Richard. You know what I told him, I thanked them for what he's done for my family financially. Mr Richard did a lot of things for me. He introduced me some other financial people. UM. Mr Richard treated me like family and just kind of like um when my grandfather died. He really was kind of that influence of like get your get your finances. And Mr Richard was always on me about how I conduct myself, um at the house and making sure that I take care

of my family financially. Don't be one of these dumb athletes that has all this opportunity and just wastes wastes on jury or this or that. And I respect him for so I went in there and I thanked them for the opportunity, thank him for allowing me to be able to save money, to be able to allow my kids to play, uh to not to go to college if they decided to use sports as an opportunity, but they were able to go to any college they wanted

to because their dad would save up money. And when I left Mr Richardson's house, he was crying and I was teary eyed as well, and he actually kissed me on the forehead and he said, uh. He says, hey, um, make sure you don't be a stranger. And I looked at him. I myself, when I do gone, I'll come back right And I was the and that was the and I got in the car. And a couple of days later, yeah, um, I was released. I think it's about that time. Just so to take a little breatherd's

getting down to do it. You mentioned a bunch of things. You mentioned Cam you You've mentioned your contract and just speaking your truth. What do you feel is the biggest misconception about the end of the time. I think the misconception is everybody thinks that I, uh, that I have something personally against Cam. What's crazy is Cam was not a part of my release. He never was. Actually, I believe Cam was on vacation and just to show you how cool of a dude he is, he wrote me

a letter that I received. He texted me. It was like, bro, I just I just got back in the country. I think he was in a Caribbean. This is when. This is when I was released. You're released. And he texted me. He was like, bro, I just got back. What the hell happened? I was like, you know that he was out of pocket. He was straight out of pocket. Yeah, And he was like, I need your home address. I'm like, all right, so he uh, I know you were you in checkout molde. You were just like when when you

received that? Oh, I was definitely a check out mode. I sent him my address. I sent him my address like everybody else sent me some stuff and it was like man, sorry, I was like, yeah, okay, you just moved on. I just moved on. So he sent me an address. I sent him addressing about three days later. So within that week I got a handwritten letter for Cam. I don't know what I did with it. What do you think I did with it. Just what is the media believe I did with it? Um, you ripped it up? Okay,

do the trash. That's what they believe. Well, I was not in a place to even read it because I was moving on to my new team. Just in a different headspace. I was in a different headspace. I was trying to figure out I got a pregnant wife, but I bring my kids. My son is in it's going into a senior year. He's anybody's getting uh, he's getting recruited. Where are we gonna go? What is this? Me? That's enough for any family? On top of everything that's going

on in your professional What teams want me? What teams? Actually? All of this stuff? And so I put it. I put Cam's letter in a drawer, and wasn't that drawer And that drawer is keepsakes And that drawer is my grandmother's obituary, my grandfather's obituary, one of my coaches, that of Robert Taylor, who gave me an opportunity to junior college. His obituary. UM letters that, uh, people of significance in my life have written me, or cards that my kids.

These are things that need something to ues. So I put in that keepsake was twenty nineteen. I'm in my drawer and I see the letter. I opened up and read the letter for the first for the first time, for the first time, and then I text him and I screened and I actually a good picture, and I said, Bro, I'm just reading your letter. I said, Man, I really appreciate it. And it was Actually, it was pretty cool. He wrote some really cool things, um, that I'm very

appreciative of, and I think it was shocked him. Now I read it two thousand thirteen fourteen. Why didn't you Why didn't you read it all those years ago? Because I'm one of those guys when I move on, I'm done, and it wasn't. But I wasn't done like man Bump Cam. It was Man, I got to move on to my new team. And so that's how it was. So you read that letter. It was a really good letter. I still have it. You read the letter in the twin nineteen.

What did that reveal to you about Cam at that point and then at that point in his career and then to yourself. Now what it did is, um, people say that I was I'll read I got to read a screenshot. Somebody said, um, They said, there's been some nice moments for the duo, but it seems the problem standing from Smith becoming a little longer in the tooth and watching the emerging superstars. Newton take his linlight. It was probably hard to take. Actually, the day we drafted

Cam Newton, we were coming out of a lockout. I was actually pretty happy we drafted a quarterback because I played with some folks that year before that was a rough stretch. I wasn't changing. He wasn't taking my line like Kim already had his line like to do one a National Championship, Heisman Trophy winner. I don't know a limelight he was taking. He was right. I've always been a receiver. All I like to do is play football

and be a receiver and blocking all that stuff. So it had nothing to do it he was taking my limelight. It was the fact that I wasn't on a very good team, and I was getting older, and my time was coming up, and I wanted to win. I didn't have time to win later, and so that's why I went to Baltimore. Because one of the reasons I went to Baltimore because when I sat with the Wizard, as he knew so he told me, listen, if you can't

be yourself, we don't want you here. And basically I got let go from a team that being yourself wasn't good enough. So he said exactly what I wanted to hear, and that's where I went there and I had a great time. And now I'm still and it was funny is I stayed my family and I still have a house here. We call this home. And people still when they still see me, they go, oh, you still here because I'm I'm a homebody man. I don't really give out.

I said in my I sit in my house, my my business man, and just I'm a loner at the end of the day. That's what I am always been, and I'm trying to get better about it. And you definitely are. You know, I gotta give you, I gotta give you your problems. Why was this import of you to get this all out, man, for you to have

an opportunity to speak your truth? Well, I think because more of anything, I dislike the fact that people are trying to pin pin me against I mean personally, at the end of it, man, I hate the black on black athlete crime, or this guy is jealous of this guy, he hates him because he's taking a sean. I don't know if y'all know, but we all shine together. We all ball like. I don't see Patrick Mahone going over

there tripping Lamar Jackson. Like at the end of it together, Bro, we were we When Cam was on, he was on. If I was off, we was off. If he was off, he was off. So it's a collective. So for me, man, it's just like at the end of it, because of how I operated, whatever narrative that the media had, I gave them that opportunity because of how I acted. But ultimately, man, more anything of anything, oh caim more of an apology publicly of like, Bro, I don't hate you. I ain't

never really. I don't look down on him. Hell actually I look up right the dude, the he's balling. A lot of people thought he wasn't gonna be this. I'm shocked how well he's playing so early in the new system, right, and the people that all that's a shot, Bro, that's not a shot. Not everybody has success Game one of your new team, right, it just so happens to be the new England Patriots. Yes, and I've said it. You never bet against Bill Belichick, and also to a motivated

Cam because I was his teammate. A motivated Cam is a dangerous kim, but a complacent athlete is not a

dangerous athlete, and across across the across the board, not sport. Yeah, So for me, it was just, you know, if I didn't, I wanted to give opportunity to really speak my truth on what really happened and not allow people to write articles based on stuff that one some of these articles that's being written about me in camp, So of these people have never even been in a locker on even in the same state and writing articles and so it's like, I'm not gonna give you. I'm I haven't said anything.

So it allows them to really give them like it must be true. The fact the matter is I no longer was a Carolina Panther because me and Dave Gelderman didn't get along. I didn't like Dave, Dave didn't like me. Dave had the power I got to check. That's how it went. I understand the game, I get it, and that's why I went on the Baltimore and that's it. That's that's the truth. Did this give you closure or is there anything anything else that you wanted to get out?

You want to know the closure. The closure for me is when that when when I was inducted into the Hall of Hall of Hona for the Carolina Panthers, that was closure for me because even with Mr Tepper and how that went, it was a long process. Mr Tepper was talking to me, Marty Hernie talking to me when Marty came back, when temper, when Dave Gentleman got fired. One of the first calls I got when I was sitting on the beach in Hawaii when I retired, Marty

Herny Carman, how you feeling. You know, I'm gonna bring you back. I like, well, give me some time, so you know, still I even talked to TV. You know, there's a few guys I talked to, but I just kind of stand my little, my little weirdo zone. So well, you know, it's it's not about closure, man, just more of knowing what's going on, and really what's the truth of the truth, not what some dude that's that says he knows rick that told John and told Ricky that

told Dave that took man. I was all the flies. I want to be on the wall. There was no flies in there. It was two dudes in there. And we know the truth. And that's the truth now, so you know you got your truth out there, man, So man, much respect and and it's it's just so refreshing. We we we've always said this amongst all these interviews that we've had on Cut to It. It's it's utilizing the platform and putting out your own narrative. And you're controlling

that narrative. And I'm just proud for you and of you of speaking your truth. Man. Hey, I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't be honest and open on my own podcast. So that's my opportunity. So I hope you enjoyed it. Um to be interesting to see how many people write articles on this one. Um, but hey, that's where we're at. We well listen to a podcast, we write an article. The only fact is now the facts that you've been missing because you got my facts straight

from the horse's mouth. Mr Ed himself, Wilbur cut to It, We out cut to It with Steve Smith Senior. That is Me is a production of Cut to It, LLC, Balto Creative Media, The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. For more podcast from I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to

your favorite show. From Cut to It, Executive producer Steve Smith, senior co host Gerard little John, talent in booking manager Joe Fusci, Social media manager Peyton Smith from Balto Creative Media. Cut to It is produced by Brian Balta Chevitch and Meredith Carter, with production assistance by Alex Lebrec, Production manager Sarah Pollock, Theme music by Alex Johnson, lyrics and vocals by Anthony Hamilton. If you ain't heard about it, then we're about to let you know. It's all