Panthers Smith bruises knee, held out of practice

By The Associated Press

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith was held out of the second half of Tuesday morning's practice after bruising his left knee.

Coach Ron Rivera says Smith is "fine" and anticipates he will return to practice Wednesday. Rivera says the decision was made to ice Smith's knee right away.

Smith came down hard on his knee early in practice while trying to break up a deep pass. Smith knocked the ball out of the hands of cornerback Josh Thomas, preventing an interception before falling to the ground.

Rivera also says running back DeAngelo Williams was excused from practice Tuesday to attend a funeral.

The Panthers (No. 20 in AP Pro32) face the Houston Texans at home Saturday night in their preseason opener.

Online: http://bigstory.ap.org/NFL-Pro32 and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL

Updated August 7, 2012