It's a shame the phrase "he's got that dog in him" is just taking off now, because the phrase was literally made for guys like Steve Smith Sr. Perhaps no player in NFL history embodies it more, as Smith, all 5-foot-9-inches of him, often played like he was the biggest player on the field.
Smith has carried that mentality over into retirement, and it's likely something that won't go away until he kicks the bucket. He's simply built different. On Thursday night, ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Cleveland Browns game, Smith's savage side came out on live television. While doing a hit for NFL Network on the sideline, a few members of the Steelers got a little too close to Smith while warming up. Smith was not having it, saying "I'll tell ya what, one of these boys hit me while I ain't in a uniform, they will not be playing tonight. I'll tell ya that."
Later that evening on Twitter, Smith tweeted out the clip of himself and clarified that he was, in fact, 100 percent serious:
Smith's NFL Network colleagues are yucking it up like this was some hilarious joke. Does it look like this guy is kidding?
No, no it does not. Also, may we remind you that this is the same guy who threatened to whoop Michael Irvin's ass because Irvin made fun of his pants on TV:
Not even a hint of a smile from Smith on that one. Fortunately, Smith never did kick his ass, probably because someone told him you can't kick your coworker's ass. Had someone not said that, Smith may have flown directly to wherever Irvin was to deliver a beatdown. This man is never, ever "playing" around.
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