Pittsburgh Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith told reporters on Thursday that he tore his rotator cuff in three places as the result of taking a hit on the sideline at the end of the Steelers' Week 10 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Smith, who turned 70 just last week, tore his rotator cuff in three places and will require surgery.
The hit that injured Smith occurred at the very end of the game, when Damontae Kazee intercepted a pass to the endzone, sealing a Steelers 23-19 win. As Kazee ran out of bounds, he was shoved by Packers offensive lineman Zach Tom, sending Kazee into Smith and knocking both over in the process. An altercation then occurred between the two teams, with Packers offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins being called for a personal foul.
"I've been hit a lot and been hit hard. I've got a lot of metal in my body," Smith said. "I gotta learn to get the hell outta the way."
Sunday's game-ending hit was hardly the first time that Smith has had to absorb a sideline impact in his coaching career, which has spanned nearly 50 years dating back to starting out as a graduate assistant at Edinboro. Speaking to the media, Smith also recalled suffering a tibial plateau fracture while coaching Clemson and breaking his ribs, L1 vertebrae and a finger after former Steelers receiver Antonio Brown collided with him.
Smith took time to acknowledge and thank one of his own players for an assist during the altercation that broke out, as tight end Rodney Williams pulled him out of the scrum before he could get further trampled on as Steelers and Packers players converged in dispute.
Despite his injury, Smith will remain on the sideline coaching as the Steelers meet the Cleveland Browns in Week 11 as they continue to contest what has become a very tight battle for the AFC North.