CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Wide receiver Steve Smith didn’t have many kind things to say about coach Ron Rivera when the Carolina Panthers released him after the 2013 season.
But Rivera had plenty of kind things to say about the now-Baltimore Ravens receiver after his season -- and perhaps career -- ended on Sunday with an Achilles injury.
Among them was he’d like to one day see Smith retire as a member of the Panthers, where he is the team’s all-time leading receiver.
“I was very sad to see that," Rivera said of Smith’s injury.