As soon as the officials picked up the penalty flag for possible offensive pass interference, teammates approached Torrey Smith to embrace him as he plays on what has to be one of the hardest nights of his life.
Down by 13 points to the Patriots, Joe Flacco lofted a pass to Smith -- whose younger brother died in a motorcycle accident early Sunday morning -- in the end zone, and Smith outleapt New England cornerback Kyle Arrington for the 25-yard touchdown.
A penalty flag littered the field, though there was little contact between Smith and Arrington. But as soon as it was clear that there would be no interference called, Ravens center Matt Birk hugged Smith. Other teammates approached and wrapped arms around him. When Smith sat on the bench, Flacco slapped him on the leg and said, “Way to go, baby.”
It was unclear for much of the day if Smith would play tonight. He left the team hotel at 1 a.m. to be with his family after he was told the news of Tevin Smith’s death. Coach John Harbaugh said in a statement that that Smith’s priority should be his family, but in the afternoon, Smith told the team he wanted to play vs. the Patriots.
And in his first catch of the day, Smith hauled in the touchdown pass, and the man who’s shed tears throughout the night was lovingly embraced by his teammates for his efforts.
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