Enemkpali has since apologized to the Jets organization, fans, teammates and coaches, and said that he and Smith allowed their frustrations to get the best of them, ESPN reported.
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“Oh, I was done”, he said.
It shouldve never happened. “I should’ve walked away from the situation”, he said. “It was never my intention to hurt anyone”.
Besides the fact that the organization has continued to live up to the term “same old Jets“, the news of the altercation does not bode well for the locker room. The punch broke Smith’s jaw and he will be sidelined for 6-10 weeks due to the injury. Bills P.R. intervened and said that Enemkpali “made his statement” on Thursday.
I look forward to being a good teammate, an accountable player, he said. I’m very grateful and thankful to be a Bill. “Thank you”. Although, the only way the Lions stunt can be topped is if Smith returns for the Jets week 10 game against the Bills and has IK Enemkpali lined up across from him.
Ryan pushed for the team to place a claim on Enemkpali, and received approval from general manager Doug Whaley and first-year Bills owner Terry Pegula.
“If we didn’t think he would be successful on field, in locker room, and in community, he wouldn’t be here”, Ryan said on Wednesday (via Pro Football Talk).
It’s an incident that Bowles says just can’t happen in the NFL.
“It was an unfortunate incident”.
Then there’s veteran linebacker Calvin Pace, who rarely speaks to the media praising Enemkpali’s work ethic, and saying “this isn’t anything I would expect him to do”.
Bills players also backed up the decision, with running back Fred Jackson telling the team website that Enemkpali has “a clean slate with us”. He also could face legal charges if Smith pursues them. “Smith did, and put his finger in Enemkpali’s face, at which point Enemkpali slugged him”. He did get to be around the outside linebacker for a season after he was picked in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft, coming out of Louisiana Tech.
Last season, Smith completed 219 of 367 passes for 2,525 yards and 13 touchdowns with 13 interceptions as the Jets went 4-12 last season after an 8-8 record in 2013.
Sitting quietly at his locker, the defensive end who was mostly anonymous at the beginning of the week was getting questions about every aspect of his week and game. “You can’t make this up!”
The good news from the New York Jets’ loss in Detroit on Thursday night is that their starting quarterback didn’t throw a pick six on the first offensive series of the season, as happened the last time the Jets opened the preseason in the Motor City.
Now the attention focuses on the Bills, who have raised questions and criticism by adding yet another troubled player.
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Enemkpali should turn into a solid contributor for the Bills and he should easily make the final roster, provided that he can stay out of trouble.
