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Thomas Davis: 13 years of doing things right, 'one play will label me a dirty player'

The NFL suspended Thomas Davis for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay. Jim Dedmon/USA TODAY Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Thomas Davis isn’t ready to retire, even if he wins a Super Bowl, but he is worried about his reputation.

Davis, 34, has one more year left on his contract after signing an extension prior to this season.

The NFL suspended him for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay for “targeting" Green Bay wide receiver Davante Adams, who also won’t play on Sunday because of a concussion from the third-quarter hit following a Colin Jones interception.

While serving his suspension, Davis is spending more time with his wife, Kelly. The two appear on the latest version of “Kandidly Kelly," a reality show put on by the team.

In the episode, Kelly asked Davis if he plans to retire after this season if the Panthers, 10-4 and assured of a playoff spot if they beat the Buccaneers, win the title.

Davis emphatically said, “No."

But it’s what he said next that shows how much the hit to the head of Adams, deemed a defenseless player on the play, impacted him.

“Thirteen years of doing things the right way and that one play will label me a dirty player," Davis said in the sneak preview video. “I was the first person to stand up and say the hit against Davante Adams was a bad hit. I wasn’t trying to go for his head. The contact was made. I’m glad he was all right. I apologized publicly."

Davis later admitted he was “wrong" for the hit that sent Adams on a social media rant earlier in the week.

“I’m not afraid to admit I was wrong," Davis said. “I apologized publicly. Whether he accepts it or not, that’s on him. I did what I was supposed to do in that situation because I was wrong. I’m man enough to admit I was wrong."