NFL Wide Receiver Vyncint Smith Takes Day Off To Guest Referee At His Alma Mater

Vyncint Smith was in a different element on Thursday, July 14, on one of his final days off before he returns to an NFL practice field.

Smith, a Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver in the National Football League,, was a special guest referee for the Broughton Clary Family 7-vs.7 Shootout at Limestone University's Bob Prevatte Athletic Complex.

South Carolina teams taking part included Anderson Christian, Boiling Springs, Broome, Clinton, Dorman, J.L. Mann, Mauldin, Ninety-Six, Northwestern, Rock Hill, Saluda, Southside Christian, Union County, and York Comprehensive. East Hall High School from Gainesville, GA also participated.

Dorman won the championship with a victory over York Comprehensive in the inaugural event organized by Limestone University head football coach Mike Furrey.

Smith played his final two seasons at Limestone under Furrey in 2016 and 2017. He returned to his alma mater in April when Limestone announced Furrey’s return as head coach inside the new Hines & Riggins Center. Smith was a guest referee Thursday on one of the new practice fields Limestone added in the $4.1 million Bob Prevatte Athletic Complex opened in 2019.

“I always love coming back to Limestone. It’s been great to see all the changes that have happened here since I left,” Smith said. He did have to resist the urge, though, to toss too many penalty flags.\

“I’m a wide receiver so I’m always looking for pass interference,” Smith joked. “I just relied on the other refs to help me out. It was a lot of fun.”

Smith returned to Texas to train this week before he reports July 26 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp. He is starting his fifth season in the NFL as a wide receiver and kickoff returner.

He made the Houston Texas regular season roster as an undrafted rookie free in 2018. He appeared in 20 games with four starts for the New York Jets in 2019 and 2020. He signed with Tampa Bay earlier this year where he will now catch passes from Tom Brady.

Smith said it’s the skills he learned from coaches on the Limestone football field and the relationships he developed in his time with Furrey that helped prepare him for future success.

“It was always a dream of mine to play in the NFL. I learned so much about life during the two years I played under Mike Furrey and his coaching staff,” Smith said. “When I left Limestone, I knew I was prepared for success and in a position to take advantage of my opportunities in life.”

(Article by Scott Powell, The Gaffney Ledger, July 18, 2022)