Antonio Smith‘s expedited appeal was denied Friday, meaning the Texans defensive end will be suspended for Week 1, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Smith had been suspended for ripping the helmet off Richie Incognito and swinging it at the Dolphins guard during Houston’s second preseason game. Smith will also have to sit out the Texans’ two remaining preseason games. He will lose about $400,000 in salary.
“In general, I feel disappointed, disappointed in myself that I was able to let him get to me in the way that he did that frustrated me, when knowing that that’s his whole game, that’s what he bases his skill level off of, and I let him take me down a road that led me into that path,” Smith told KRIV-TV in Houston.
Smith can practice with the Texans the rest of the preseason, although he can’t play in the games. Starting Aug. 31, however, he can’t take part in any team activities during his regular-season suspension. He will be reinstated Tuesday, Sept. 10.
“Initially, I was full of frustration,” Smith said. “I swung the helmet, but I didn’t swing the helmet to hit Richie Incognito. If I was going to swing the helmet to hit Richie Incognito, it wouldn’t have been hard. He’s right there close. You can see how low the helmet was and how tight I brought it to my body.”
Smith said Incognito initially hit him in the face mask.
“It was a deliberate punch to my face,” Smith said. “You see how far my head went back. It was a deliberate grab of my face mask, the twisting and the jerking of it and then one last punch at the end.”
Last season, Smith found himself in a similar position with Incognito during the Texans’ season opener. After the game, he complained about what he called dirty play from Incognito and said the Dolphins guard was trying to injure his ankle. The NFL disagreed, fining Smith $21,000 for kicking Incognito. The fine was reduced to $11,000 on appeal.
Information from ESPN.com’s Tania Ganguli was used in this report.
Story courtesy of ESPN.com