Carolina Panthers three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle was a no-show at the team’s voluntary off-season workouts on Wednesday.

   Panthers head coach John Fox said he had an inclination Jenkins might not show up. However, Fox also said that Jenkins' representatives have informed the team that he will attend training camp when the Panthers report to Wofford College in Spartanburg in late July.

   “We’ve had great communication all the way through. It’s not a situation where there are any bad feelings. But he will be here for training camp," Fox said.

   When asked to confirm that he was told Jenkins will be at training camp, Fox replied, “It’s words, but yes.”

   OK, off the football topic for a moment...

   You've probably seen worst displays of sportsmanship in youth sports, but here's my first real encounter with this.

   Last week I'm at my 7-year-old son's baseball (machine pitch) playoff game -- do they really need playoffs at age 7? -- and in the middle of the first inning a father from the opposing team comes running on to the field holding up a cell phone. He stops the game.

   It turns out he was upset that our team got to bat 12 kids during an inning (because that's how many kids showed up) and their team only batted 10 (because that's how many showed up). The father felt this was unfair and called the commissioner of the league during the middle of the game to report the problem. The cell phone intervention took about 15 minutes to clear up, wasting everyone's time and ruined the flow of the game.

   Of course, the squeaky wheal got his way. Sort of.

   Our coach admirably refused to "bench" two of our hitters. They compromised by allowing two of their hitters to hit twice during each inning to make up for their shortage of kids.

   It hardly mattered as our team got beat pretty good.

   Not that the kids really cared. They just wanted to have fun. Instead, as I'm leaving the field, my son turns to me and says, "Dad, why was that crazy man running on to the field with a phone?"

   Well said, son.

   I'm all for what's fair, but I just thought that incident was a sad reflection on how our society (in particular, some parents) have become completely obsessed with their children winning that they will do anything. And, by the way, it's also another reason I truly hate cell phones.

   Do you have any stories that came top that one?

   Leave it to superagent Drew Rosenhaus to stir up the waters.

   Rosenhaus said that he doesn't feel like the Kris Jenkins trade scenario is dead and still believes the team would trade him at the right price, according to the Charlotte Observer. I don't necessarily disagree with that opinion, but is Carolina really going to get what it wants for Jenkins (a first- or second-round draft pick) between now and the start of the season? Probably not.

   The team reiterated its stance that Jenkins will be back this season after unsuccessful trying to trade the three-time Pro Bowl selection.

   Also, keep in mind, Rosenhaus represents Damione Lewis, who just so happens to be Jenkins' backup. If Jenkins is sent packing then Lewis would be the guy to step in. So Rosenhaus could be trying to get his client in a better position. (He's never done that before, right T.O.?)

   Lewis, by the way, just so happens to be in the final year of his contract. 

   It appears the two sides have parted on amicable terms.

   Johnson, who had kept a fairly low profile in recent weeks since his release – which is to say he hasn’t returned any phone calls seeking comment – had a chance to vent on Wednesday.

   However, during a press conference at Southern Cal to announce that he’ll join ESPN as a studio analyst, the outspoken Johnson refused to lash out at GM Marty Hurney or head coach John Fox about their decision to release him with three years on his contract. Basically he viewed it as a business decision. Hurney has said in the past that while Johnson didn’t agree with it, he certainly understood.

   Johnson did say the decision came as a surprise.

   "It never crossed my mind," Johnson said to ESPN. "It'll happen to a ton of other guys. You have to be prepared for what goes on in the National Football League. Once I was released from Carolina, it speeded up the process."

   Former Carolina receiver Keyshawn Johnson retired on Wednesday to take a full-time TV gig with ESPN.

   Johnson, who worked the NFL draft in April for the network, will appear weekly on the Emmy Award-winning Sunday NFL Countdown (11 a.m. -1 p.m. ET) and Monday Night Countdown (7-8:30 p.m.). The 11-year NFL veteran will also contribute weekly columns to ESPN.com and appear on ESPN Radio’s new NFL show hosted by Chris Mortensen and Bill Parcells during the season (Fridays, 7 p.m.).

   At ESPN, Johnson will reunite with Parcells, his former NFL coach and a fellow NFL analyst who will also appear on Monday Night Countdown.

   “The opportunity to transition from active player to broadcaster at the level of ESPN and ABC was too great to pass up,” said Johnson, who worked as an NFL draft analyst for ESPN last month. “Also, to be a member of the Disney family of companies is a great honor.  Although I am currently able to play at the same high NFL level that many fans are used to seeing, walking away while at that level is what I have chosen to do.

   “With teams attempting to sign me, and multiyear playing offers on the table, I realized that I have accomplished all of my goals as a professional football player. That fact, combined with this current opportunity, allows me to feel good about what I have accomplished as a player and what lies ahead in the next phase of my career."

   He will play a key role in ESPN’s year-round NFL presentation, including NFL Draft and Super Bowl week coverage. His on-air contributions will extend beyond football through personality and issue-oriented features and as part of major event coverage on both ESPN and ABC.

   No news is good news for Nate Salley.

   Salley, the Carolina Panthers second-year safety, is hoping the team doesn't feel like it needs to add a free agent safety -- and so far it hasn't. At this point, Salley is scheduled to continue working with the Panthers first team defense at strong safety alongside veteran Mike Minter when minicamp begins next Wednesday (May 30).

   The camp is slated to run for four weeks.

   There are a handful of veteran free agents still available, but so far the Panthers don't appear to have contacted the agents of any of them. That's good news for Salley, who is looking to prove to coach John Fox and GM Marty Hurney that they don't need to bring in anyone else and that he can handle the job.

   Of course, there's still plenty of time to add another safety and the Panthers could be waiting to see what players are released by other teams. The Panthers have shown no interest in bringing back Shaun Williams or Colin Branch -- both unrestricted free agents -- who split duties at strong safety last season.

   One down, two to go.

   Now that the Panthers have wrapped up receiver Steve Smith to a long-term contract, the team will look to do the same for offensive tackle Jordan Gross and defensive end Julius Peppers.

   Gross, who will move back to right tackle this year, is the more pressing of the two at least time-wise. His contract with the team expires after the 2007 season meaning he's due to become an unrestricted free agent next March.

   Peppers is under contract through the 2008 season, so conceivably the team could wait until after this season to strike a new deal.

   Obviously, Peppers will cost more to sign and very well could ink the richest contract in team history, surpassing Smith's deal.

   Steve Smith addressed the media on Thursday after signing a three-year contract extension.

   Here's a quick tidbit (more to come later):

   “It’s been a wild rollercoaster. I’m living out my dream. A knucklehead from L.A. and all of a sudden now, behind accolades, being a father, being a husband and all of those things. Sometimes I sit at home in the morning and look around and I live in a house and drive a car. All of those things, it’s that feeling that you’re waiting for somebody to wake you up. But I know nobody is waking me up because I’m up already.”

   Smith's agent, Derrick Fox, declined to release contract figures, but told the Associated Press the new deal makes Smith among the five highest-paid receivers in the league.

   Smith, 28, had three years remaining on a six-year, $27 million contract and had been scheduled to make $3.l, $3.6 and $4.2 million over the next three seasons. He will now make significantly more, with a larger portion of money guaranteed over the first few years of the contract. The extension comes eight days after the Panthers released wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, a move that helped the Panthers free up salary cap room to sign Smith.

   After becoming the first Carolina rookie ever to make the Pro Bowl in 2001, doing so as a returner, Smith emerged as a receiving threat in 2002 with 54 receptions for 872 yards and three touchdowns. He became a star in 2003, helping the Panthers reach the Super Bowl with 88 catches for 1,110 yards and seven touchdowns. In the playoffs that year, Smith caught a 69-yard touchdown in double overtime to beat the St. Louis Rams in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.

   After signing a six-year contract in March of 2004, Smith broke his leg in the season opener later that year and missed 15 games. He returned in 2005 and didn't miss a beat, catching a career-high 103 passes for 1,563 yards with 12 touchdowns, solidifying his position as one of the game's top receivers and earning a trip to the Pro Bowl for the first time as a receiver.

   Smith returned the Pro Bowl last year. Despite missed the first two games with a hamstring injury, he still finished with a team-high 83 catches for 1,166 yards and eight touchdowns.Smith's numbers in the postseason have been astounding.In seven playoff games with the Panthers, Smith has 45 catches for 739 yards and six touchdowns. He's also scored on a run and a punt return. 

   The Carolina Panthers gave wide receiver Steve Smith a three-year extension on Tuesday, the team announced just moments ago.

    At this point, it's unclear of how much the contract is worth, but will almost certainly bring Smith in line with the highest-paid receivers in the NFL. An extension for Smith had been anticipated, especially after middle of the road receivers like Drew Bennett signed contracts worth more than Smith was making this off-season.

   Smith had been under contract through 2009, so the new deal is believed to keep him a Panther through the 2012 season.

   Hey folks, after a very busy week covering the Wachovia Championship and the Carolina Panthers minicamp, I finally had a moment to sit down and figure out this new blog format. So here's the latest from Panthers minicamp practice on Sunday:

   Wow!

   It was a fairly mundane three-day minicamp until about 10 remained in Sunday's practice.

   That's when Pro Bowl receiver nearly gave his coach and teammates a heart attack when he landed in a heap after a mid-air collision with a defensive back during a two-minute drill. Smith came down holding his left knee and was seen writhing in pain on the field for several moments. The team was absolutely paralyzed as they looked on. Smith finally got up and hobbled to the side where he was monitored by trainers.

   Smith, however, appears to be OK.

   "He landed on his knee funny but he's fine," said a relieved coach John Fox after practice.

   At first it was tough to tell if Smith injured his knee or his hamstring, a problem that gave him fits last off-season. Trainer Ryan Vermillion attended to Smith, who left the field under his own power. Vermillion, one of the league's better trainers, later taped Smith's knee.

   "Anytime a player goes down, it's scary," Fox said. "It always is, especially when it's that guy. It's like 2004 was flashing in front of my eyes."

   That's when Smith broke his ankle in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers and was done for the year. The Panthers started that season 1-7 and failed to make the playoffs.

   Obviously, Smith is the one guy Carolina can't afford to lose on offense. A year ago he caught 83 balls for 1,166 yards and eight touchdowns and figures to be the focal point of the offense again this season.