CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Steve Smith, Carolina's leading receiver, was suspended for one game by the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday after a fight that sent teammate Anthony Bright to the hospital.

Bright broke his nose in the altercation, which came during Monday's film session, spokesman Charlie Dayton said.

Smith's suspension came on the same day the Panthers released offensive tackle Chris Terry, who was arrested Wednesday for failing to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge of assaulting his wife.

Wide receiver Isaac Byrd visited Bright, a practice squad player, in the hospital Tuesday and called his injuries ``very disturbing.''

"I wanted to leave the room the second I walked in there,'' Byrd said. "When I saw him his face was covered, it was like a sheet below the eyes. The nose was covered. Half the face was swollen and his left eye was closed ... you'd have thought there was a bulldozer in Steve's fist.''

Byrd was one of the few players to speak about the fight, which coach John Fox disclosed following practice.

Byrd said the receivers were watching film when Smith attacked Bright. He did not say if Smith was provoked or what led to the fight.

"I can't comment like I want to because I'll get in trouble,'' Byrd said.

Byrd said Smith called Bright's hospital room while he was there. Byrd also spoke to Smith.

"I can tell you he was tore up about it, and I've never seen Steve that way,'' Byrd said. "He was down, down, down in the dumps. He called me a couple of times to talk. I could tell he wanted to talk to somebody.''

Smith, an All-Pro kick returner as a rookie last season, leads the team with 36 catches this season. He will miss Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.

He issued a statement Wednesday apologizing to Bright and the rest of the team.

"Being away and watching this week will be difficult,'' he said. "But I take full responsibility for my absence and actions.''

Terry turned himself in to deputies at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse shortly after 9 a.m. and was released less than three hours later after posting a $15,000 secured bond.

Carolina general manager Marty Hurney and coach John Fox met with Terry after he left jail.

"We told Chris that we thought it was best that we release him,'' Hurney said. "Our decision was based on a series of occurrences involving the player and the club.''

These difficulties are the latest off-field troubles for the Panthers, who have had plenty during their eight seasons in the NFL.

The Panthers reached the NFC Championship game in just their second season of existence, then had a series of problems on and off the field. Last season, they set an NFL record last year by losing 15 straight games.

Kerry Collins, the franchise's first-ever draft pick, basically quit the team. He now is the starting quarterback for the New York Giants after treatment for alcohol and other psychological problems.

Rae Carruth, another first-round draft pick, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder after hit men shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend.

Fred Lane, the franchise's all-time leading rusher, was shot to death by his wife in his Charlotte home. She is awaiting trial on murder charges, as well as separate charges of bank robbery.

Rashard Anderson, taken in the first round of the 2000 draft, is suspended by the NFL this season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Defensive end Brentson Buckner is currently serving a four-game suspension for using a banned dietary supplement and rookie Julius Peppers, who leads the NFL in sacks, is appealing the same penalty.