Published: Friday, Dec. 04, 2009 / Updated: Friday, Dec. 04, 2009 10:48 AM

Panthers' Wesley out to prove he's not a bad guy

CHARLOTTE -- Carolina Panthers special-teamer Dante Wesley said when he takes the field Sunday, he'll be looking for Tampa Bay return man Clifton Smith.

And this time, he comes in peace.

Wesley was suspended for a week without pay after his vicious hit on Smith in the first meeting between the teams, a hit that knocked Smith out with a concussion.

Since then, Wesley has gone to great lengths to demonstrate that he's not a dirty player, a process which began with a series of phone calls that led to Smith himself. They talked, he apologized and Smith accepted, but Wesley still feels like he is rehabilitating his image. He's hoping they can meet before the game Sunday at Bank of America Stadium and turn the page on the chapter in up-and-down seasons for both.

“When I'm out there going through warmups, I'll look for him, just to say ‘Hey, let's have a good game,” Wesley said Thursday. “We're all professionals, and when you play the game with a passion, sometimes things happen. Everybody that knows me knows that I'm not that kind of person.

“I do play special teams hard, but it was blown out of proportion. They were making me the bad guy, but I knew in my heart, I got there too early and hey, it happened. I just tried to do something right and did something wrong.”

The play happened in the second quarter of the Panthers' 28-21 win on Oct. 18 in Tampa. Smith was looking up to field a punt just before halftime, and Wesley unloaded on him, leaving his feet and leveling Smith with a shoulder to the head and neck. Smith struggled to talk after the game because his throat was sore, and he was treated for a concussion.

When the Panthers' plane landed back in Charlotte that night, cornerback Richard Marshall was quick to call Smith, his old teammate at Fresno State.

“I called him that night after the game, as soon as we got back, to see how he was doing,” Marshall said. “It was a tough situation. He said he was fine, he was all right, still had a headache, but that's it. ...

“After I found out he was OK, I told him Dante's not that kind of player, he's not a dirty guy. He said he was cool with it and he understood.”

At the same time, Wesley was talking to former teammate Ricky Manning Jr. (who grew up in Fresno and knew Smith as well). Manning passed along Smith's cell phone number, and Wesley had to swallow hard and make the call.

Keep in mind, the league office had called on Monday to tell Wesley he'd be getting the week off, and would be forfeiting his weekly salary of $36,470.59. Smith ended up with the week off as well, as the Bucs didn't take him to their game in London against New England.

So when Wesley reached Smith on Tuesday, the consequences of the hit were clear to both.

“For me, when I'm wrong about a situation I don't mind admitting it, and when I'm sorry about a situation I don't mind telling anybody,” Wesley said. “It's not hard for me to apologize for anything, because I want to be a fair person, and I want people to be fair to me. To apologize, it wasn't a hard thing.

“I felt like it was something I needed to do. People kept putting things out there like I was intentionally trying to hurt somebody or I'm a dirty player. People don't realize that's not the type of player I am. I do play this game hard, but sometimes accidents happen. That's what happened. After that, I felt more at ease with it, like I had done my part.”

The hardest part for Wesley was sitting at home for a week while suspended, then watching the Panthers' loss to Buffalo on television. But he has come back and played well since, and remains one of the Panthers' core special-teams players. He also has taken on a more active role on defense, as the Panthers have adapted some of their schemes to incorporate the veteran cornerback.

Smith has rebounded to have a solid season of his own. He was named NFC special teams players of the week in Week 9, when his returns helped the Buccaneers to their lone win of the year. His 83-yard kickoff return helped spark the Bucs' 38-28 win in his first game back.

He's currently third in the league in kick return average (29.1 average) and 10th in punt returns (10.6), one of just three players in the league's top 10 in both categories.

But for all they have done on the field, coming together off the field has provided a chance for growth.

“It felt good to apologize to him,” Wesley said. “It was an aggressive play, nothing personal. When I got on the phone with him, I said ‘it was an accident, man, I have nothing against you.' He seemed like with the concussion he might have still been a little down at the time. But he said he forgave me and I left it at that.

“I don't try to hurt anybody. I've got a wife and kids and I'm sure he's got family. We're just playing this game, nobody's out there trying to hurt anybody else. We all want to be safe.”

Of course, the Bucs didn't feel like Wesley had put safety first during that game, with a mob quickly forming around him. That has led some to wonder if retaliation is a possibility, since the world of special teams lends itself to big hits, anyway.

“You never know if they're going to do something or not,” Marshall said. “But they know if they do it, they'll get thrown out and they'll get fined. a lot of people won't want to take that; that's money out of their pocket.

“He (Wesley) has to play full speed like he has been, and he can't worry about what's going to happen.”

Wesley shrugged when asked if he was worried about that, hoping his reputation and the communication he has had with Smith will carry the day.

“I don't think it should be a factor in this game,” he said. “I'm sure when they looked at the tape, they realize it wasn't anything I tried to do intentionally. There shouldn't be anything during the game because of that play.”