New York Jets third-year quarterback Geno Smith was sucker-punched in the team locker room today, suffered a broken jaw and will be out for the next six to ten weeks. Ben Shpigel of the New York Times reported the shocking story.
Holy Moly: Geno smith got sucker punched in locker room this morning. Broken jaw. Out 6-10 weeks at least.
— Ben Shpigel (@benshpigel) August 11, 2015
Shpigel later reproted that Smith was punched by linebacker IK Enemkpali, who has since been released from the team. Naturally, Jets first-year head coach Todd Bowles was not pleased and offered a brief statement.
Todd Bowles: "You don't walk up to another man and punch him in the face."
— Ben Shpigel (@benshpigel) August 11, 2015
What provoked the altercation? Bowles: "It was something very childish that 6th graders could have talked about."
— Ben Shpigel (@benshpigel) August 11, 2015
This means that unless Smith gets cleared to play sooner rather than later, the Jets are going to have to go with one of two people at quarterback as the season begins: veteran game manager Ryan Fitzpatrick or rookie and former Baylor Bear Bryce Petty.
Granted, Smith isn’t a tremendously devastating loss for the Jets, as he owns a career record of 11-18 and threw for 5,571 yards with 25 touchdowns and 34 interceptions across his first two seasons. He is also prone to fumbling the ball, which drew the ire of many Jets fans, and his production has been so inconsistent to the point where he was benched in favor of Michael Vick last season.
But the fact of the matter is that this was a season where Smith was in a position to do well in offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s spread offense, and he will now be on the shelf for an extended period of time because of a silly locker room fight. If either Fitzpatrick or Petty plays well in his absence, there’s every possibility that Smith will be looking for a new team in the near future.
Can’t get enough of Campus Sports? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay updated with the latest news and exclusive giveaways!
*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports