Steelers notebook
Marvel Smith ‘here for the season’ LATROBE – A shaken Marvel Smith reported to Pittsburgh Steelers training camp Wednesday and took full responsibility for being “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” but he didn’t take responsibility for smoking the marijuana that caused his recent arrest in Tempe, Ariz.
After making a statement to reporters, Smith was asked if he smoked the marijuana.
“No,” he said.
“You didn’t use at all?” he was asked.
“No,” Smith repeated. “This is not something I want to discuss at this time. If you have any football questions, I’ll answer them.”
Smith told reporters that a court date had not been set for the case, and that he was “here for the season.”
Smith, the Steelers’ 24-year-old right tackle, was arrested for a small amount of marijuana and charged with a Class 6 felony, the lowest classification for the crime in Arizona. He will not face a serious legal penalty, nor will he receive a league suspension, yet Smith was visibly shaken while making his statement to reporters.
“I just want to apologize to the Steelers and the fans in Pittsburgh,” he said. “I know I made a poor decision in regards to who I was with and where I was at the time. I accept full responsibility and all the consequences that are going to come to me in regards to this situation. I’m looking forward to putting it behind me and getting along with the season.”
Smith said he worked out “every day, maybe a little too much” and feels he’s reporting to camp in better shape than he did last year, his second in the league. He also said the arrest won’t become a distraction to him on the field.
“I’ve dealt with a lot more adversity than this,” he said. “If anything, it’s going to make me work a whole lot harder. I’ve always been dedicated. If anything, it’s dedicated me even more.”
SIMMONS A HOLDOUT: First-round draft pick Kendall Simmons became the team’s only holdout at 6 o’clock last evening, but Steelers Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert was confident the sides would come to an agreement very soon.
“We’re very optimistic they’ll get it done,” Colbert said of Simmons’ agent Eric Metz and Steelers negotiator Omar Khan.
“Omar was very quick because he was running from one place to another. He just said that he felt good. Things are really narrowing in around him and it’s closing in. I just think he feels good. Eric Metz is a good agent. He’ll work to get his client in here on time and we feel very good that they’ll both get it done soon.”
Once the Steelers sign Simmons they’ll probably close the bank vault for the season. Only two starters – left tackle Wayne Gandy and strong safety Lee Flowers – are entering the final years of their contracts and could become free agents next March.
“We’ll never close the door, but we’re not going to sit here and say negotiations are ongoing with anybody else,” Colbert said. “As we said all along, we can’t sign everybody. The players still have the years on their contracts. We like to get them done ahead of time. We got done what we thought we could this time around and we’ll see where the future goes. But I wouldn’t say we’re actively in negotiations with anyone further at this point.”
ZEREOUE CONSIDERS JACKET: Concerned about a cyst on his liver that will eventually “get smaller and disappear,” running back Amos Zereoue will consider wearing a flak jacket throughout training camp. He received a doctor’s clearance Tuesday and will participate in today’s run test, but at Friday’s practice he may wear the protective gear running backs dislike most.
“If it doesn’t bother my running I’m going to wear it,” he said. “I’ve seen Jerome [Bettis] wear one when he had those rib problems. The first day I feel it’s uncomfortable, I’m going to take it off. Coach doesn’t want that ball on the ground so I don’t want to have to go through that.”
Zereoue is happy to be past the problem that hospitalized him in April, and his weight’s back up to last year’s level of 209 pounds, but he doesn’t feel as if he’s recovered fully.
“It’s a matter of my stamina and getting hit again,” he said.