Rod Smart aka He Hate Me returns a 100 yard touchdown.

[JTSimon]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=231005029

Man we really need the XFL back...its fills the NFL with overlooked talent  

I need a He Hate Me jersey  

[JTSimon]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- "He Hate Me" finally has some friends.

Rod Smart, who gained fame with a catchy nickname in the XFL, has settled in with the Carolina Panthers -- quirks and all.


 
He hasn't cut his hair in over a year, growing at least a six-inch high Afro. He stopped shaving, giving him a thick and rugged beard.

But the main attractions Thursday were the two jerseys hanging in his locker from his days with the Las Vegas Outlaws of the now defunct XFL. With his self-chosen nickname "He Hate Me" on the back, teammates gathered to get a look at what made Smart so well-known.

"I just knew him as 'He Hate Me,' so that's what I call him," safety Deon Grant said. "And you can't get one of those jerseys anywhere. Every time they put them in the stores, they sell out right away."

What started as a gimmick for Smart has turned into a career with the Panthers.

Signed by Carolina right before the season-opener last season, he led the Panthers in special teams tackles. This year they added kick returning to his duties and Smart delighted Carolina with dynamic special teams play in Sunday's 24-23 victory over Jacksonville.

He blocked a punt that led to a safety with 12:56 to play, had a 43-yard kickoff return and a special-teams tackle for loss.

"I'm a playmaker," Smart said. "I try to make something happen whenever I get around the ball. That's my game plan."

It's all about planning for Smart, an undrafted running back from Western Kentucky.

He originally signed with San Diego, but was cut three weeks later. Then he was cut by the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL.

So he jumped at a chance at the XFL in 2001, crafting the "He Hate Me" nickname to get a little attention. The plan worked perfectly as Smart became a poster boy for the anything-goes league.

He also played well -- he was second in the league in rushing.

The Eagles signed him to their practice squad when the league folded, making Smart one of the rare XFL players to actually parlay that brief playing time into a shot with an NFL team. He played in six games before a foot injury ended his season.

Now he's with Carolina and the Panthers don't hate him at all.

"Rod is just Rod, you get what you see," receiver Steve Smith said. "He's rugged, he's honest and he brings us diversity and uniqueness. He's also the fastest Panther on the team."

But his teammates spend most their time talking about his hair, his nickname or his clothes. Their favorite outfit this season is a 1970s throwback suit Smart wore to an exhibition game in New York.

It's all part of an image Smart has worked on, and won't change.

"I love that name, I produced that name, it's my moniker," Smart said. "I needed a name to get me out there, going to a small college and not being drafted didn't do it for me. That name did and now I'm famous.

"One of my goals used to be to get famous. Well, now I'm famous. Now I want my accomplishments to be on the field."