When the Houston Texans head to San Diego to take on the Chargers in Week 1 of the NFL regular season, they will be without defensive end Antonio Smith.
Smith, who lived up to his nickname "The Ninja Assassin" when he took off Richie Incognito's helmet and swung it at him violently in Houston's 24-17 preseason victory in Week 2, was told Friday that his appeal of the ban was denied.
A video of Smith swinging the helmet at Incognito can be seen below:
Not only will Smith miss the regular-season opener, but he's also suspended for the two remaining preseason games on the Texans' schedule. Smith will sit out Sunday when Houston takes on the New Orleans Saints at Reliant Stadium and again the following Thursday when the team travels to Dallas to clash with the Cowboys in its last preseason tune-up.
On top of that, Smith will lose $400,000 worth of salary due to the ban.
Smith expressed his disappointment about the situation.
"In general, I feel disappointed, disappointed in myself that I was able to let him get to me in the way that he did that frustrated me, when knowing that that's his whole game, that's what he bases his skill level off of, and I let him take me down a road that led me into that path," Smith told KRIV-TV in Houston, according to ESPN.
Smith will practice with the team for the rest of the preseason until Aug. 31, but won't be able to practice with them after that date until Tuesday, Sept. 10 when the ban is lifted.
Smith said Incognito, who he has a history of bad blood with, got under his facemask and angered the defensive end.
"It was a deliberate punch to my face," Smith said per ESPN. "You see how far my head went back. It was a deliberate grab of my face mask, the twisting and the jerking of it and then one last punch at the end."
Smith will return to the Texans when they clash with the Tennessee Titans in Week 2 at Reliant Stadium Sept. 15.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.