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Anger management

Did the Dallas Cowboys bait Steve Smith into his outburst that led to his ejection? Smith has had issues with his temper in the past but had kept it under control this year. According to this article, it sounds like the defense might have been doing everything possible to set Smith off, including "giving him the business." Check out this quote from Smith.

Smith admitted he knew touching an official can be grounds for immediate disqualification, but said he didn't do in a malicious manner.

"You're not supposed to touch the ref. I understand that," Smith said. "(But) I wasn't doing it to put him down or anything. All I know is that refs are there to implement all aspects of the game and keep the game within the guidelines. But all I know is that you watch the football game and two certain guys get into scuffles after the play and they've yet to throw a flag, you know, you kinda question what's going on. So, you know, I'm just watching that and, you know, how many times are you going to see (Keith Davis and Roy Williams) go after guys. You know, 10 or 12 times after the play and none of the refs grab the flag."

Did our safeties rough up the mercurial Smith? Did the diminutive one finally have enough and explode? It kind of sounds like it, especially when you read this blurb from a Fox Sports article.

But I do question how [referee] Steinkercher, standing three yards away, failed to see Dallas cornerback [Terence] Newman shove Smith while he was out-of-bounds. That's unnecessary roughness, a 15-yard penalty. And it sure looked like Dallas safety Roy Williams tried to kick Smith, too. It was hilarious, though, to see 15 Dallas players erupt into cheer when Smith was ejected. They baited him and he retaliated. Job well done.

I don't know for sure, it could've been that Smith was more frustrated by not getting the ball rather than any extra-curricular activity. Still, it makes for an interesting story.

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