Jets' Locker Room Source Says Geno Smith Deserved to Be Punched in the Face

A Jets' locker room source says Geno Smith deserved to be punched in the face.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

By now you've probably heard about New York Jets quarterback Geno Smithgetting punched in the face by a teammate over a matter of $600, the result of which was a broken jaw that would force Smith to be sidelined for 6-10 weeks. 

The Jets immediately released linebacker IK Enemkpali (because, you know, you can't have dudes breaking the starting QB's jaw, no matter the reason), though he was quickly snatched up by Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills

When the story was reported initially, the word "sucker-punch" was used, and it seemed as though Smith was a relatively innocent victim in all of this. Not so, according to a couple of sources inside the Jets locker room, as reported by Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Although Todd Bowles made it clear that he doesn’t think his starting quarterback should have been punched by teammate IK Enemkpali, eyewitness accounts disagree.

An additional report, this time from ESPN's Ryan Clark, seems to confirm this version of the events.

My report says Geno put his finger in his face and told the guy, well, you’re not going to do anything about it.

Despite the fact that Enemkpali's draft profile described the "violence in his punch," the reality is that it almost always takes two people to escalate a situation to the point where fists are thrown. That seems to have been the case here, and Smith will now have plenty of time on the sidelines to think about what he could've done differently to have avoided the altercation.

Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.

[via The New York Daily News; The Big Lead]

Latest in Sports