Hall turned friendship with Smith into feud

The Steve Smith-DeAngelo Hall duel is as intriguing as it is unlikely.

These guys were friends. Before the relationship went bad, I talked to Smith about Hall and, in Atlanta, to Hall about Smith. Both respected the other enormously.

They filmed a Reebok commercial together and became immediate friends. They exchanged cell numbers. When Atlanta played Carolina in Charlotte in 2005, Smith took Hall to dinner.

The next day, Smith beat Hall for an 18-yard touchdown.

This is a guess, but I suspect that Hall's teammates got on him for having dinner with a guy one night and allowing him to score a touchdown the next day.

Before Atlanta opened the 2006 season against Carolina at Bank of America Stadium, Hall got on Smith. The Atlanta Constitution-Journal ran a story with Hall's quotes.

Smith said the next day that he had heard about the story, but hadn't read it. (This was the Wednesday before the opener.) An Atlanta reporter was in the Panthers locker room. She asked Smith if he wanted to hear the quotes.

Keyshawn Johnson, then a Panthers receiver, said no, no he doesn't. But Smith did.

Among the quotes: "This is business. You best believe when (Smith is) hanging in the air, I will be taking a shot at him. Period. I'm trying to kill people this year. Period."

Smith responded by being a hard guy, saying about what you think he would.

But after he talked to reporters, he quietly asked me, "Why would he do this?"

Smith is intensely loyal and he couldn't understand why somebody who was his friend would turn on him. Smith wouldn't.

Smith sat out the game with an injured hamstring. In the second meeting last season, he didn't catch a pass. Carolina threw only seven passes and completed four, one to a receiver. The Panthers ran 52 times and won 10-3.

So Sunday was the first real game, a game when a receiver goes out for a pass and a cornerback attempts to stop him, between Smith and Hall since Hall talked.

Hall is a tremendous athlete and, at least when we talked, gracious.

But, he didn't get it Sunday. He didn't get that personal battles are merely a sideshow and that what counts is the team.

Smith did.

Comments

[bret]

This is the reason my kids will have Steve Smith jerseys long after he's quit playing- respect, loyalty and a team first attitude- GOTTA LOVE 89!

[Brandon]

Maybe Smith should have taken Hall to a nicer restaurant. Hall has high expectations.