Bowles said Smith and Enemkpali got into an “altercation” in the Jets’ locker room Tuesday morning. Bowles described it as a “sucker punch” and Enemkpali was released by the team shortly afterward. “It’s something very childish that sixth-graders could have talked about…”
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Later, he said, “You can call him every name in the book and point in his face and do whatever you want, but when you punch a man in the face, that’s some serious stuff”. And since the Jets went 4-12 last season, this was seen as Smith’s last chance to make a case that he is a starting NFL quarterback.
Three other quarterbacks are listed on the Jets roster aside from Smith: veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and rookie quarterbacks Bryce Petty and Jake Heaps.
It was a sentiment star cornerback Darrelle Revis echoed: “I hold both of them responsible”, he said. Specifically, according to the Daily News, a $600 debt that Smith owed Enemkpali for air fare and a limo.
Brian Costello of the New York Post reported similar facts, adding that Enemkpali was upset over Smith’s inability to attend and also sought reimbursement for a limousine, which Smith agreed to do. “Geno and I let our frustration get the best of us, but I should have just walked away from the situation”. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Smith’s jaw is broken in two places and he’ll miss six to 10 weeks.
For his part, Smith vowed on Instagram that he would return. “I think that’s one of my strengths as well, so we’ll get on the same page”. As of Tuesday, Smith hadn’t; which led to a confrontation between the two, and Enemkpali threw a punch at Smith, fracturing his jaw. The Jets QB seems to be in good spirits regardless of the incident saying, “I’ll be back”, recently on social media.
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The Wembley-bound New York Jets are likely to be without their starting quarterback in London after Geno Smith’s jaw was broken by a team mate’s “sucker punch”. He was suspended in 2011 while attending Louisiana Tech following an arrest for punching an off-duty police officer.
