Steve Smith speaks out on release to radio station

So the saga continues, even after the proverbial nail was put into the coffin.

Following his dominating performance against his former Panther team on Sunday, former Carolina receiver Steve Smith spoke out on the terms of his release earlier today.

The Baltimore wideout called in to Charlotte sports station WFNZ during the “Bustin’ Loose” program, hosted by Frank Garcia.

As soon as he began to talk, it was like the ears of an entire city listened as he began hitting with a verbal barrage aimed primarily at Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman.

“He tells me I’m a shadow of the player I used to be,” Smith said recalling a meeting he had Gettleman weeks before he was released.

The GM also allegedly called the veteran a “nuisance” and a “distraction” in the locker room, even though, according to Smith, it was he and Jordan Gross were rallying the team when the Panthers started off 0-2 last season.

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“Now that I play well, you’re going to try and say that I’m a distraction. I’ve always been a distraction, but I didn’t beat my wife,” Smith said.

“I didn’t get arrested for DUIs. I didn’t fall of no motorcycles.”

Smith then went to the GM to ask if this happened to be about a pay cut, to which Gettleman laughed and alluded that Smitty’s time in Charlotte was over.

Soon after, that’s when Smitty said things got “personal” with Gettleman.

“Obviously I did something that got under his skin,” he said.

Smith then said he had scheduled a meeting with Gettleman the day of his release, only to find out via radio that he was no longer a Panther.

“He doesn’t even have the cojones to tell us to our face, we have to find out from other people.”

The 35-year old then went on to refute this report that came out this weekend by NFL insider Ian Rapoport that suggested he asked for his release from the Panthers:

“I never asked for a release. I wanted to play ball,” Smith said.

Smith also spoke on Ron Rivera’s reaction the situation, saying that “he hid in his office” during the whole ordeal and only apologized via text message.

He called himself a “villain” and that “without Lex Luthor, there is no Superman,” which could possibly be taken as an allusion to quarterback Cam Newton’s on-field persona.

Smith also said that Newton didn’t even know about the situation, but that the two didn’t hang out much primarily because of their age difference.

But he seemed to give off the impression that age isn’t going to slow him down and keep him from reaching for his ultimate goals.

“I just want to play ball.  I just want to win championships. I want to leave a mark,” he said.

SOURCE: WFNZ