Jets QB Geno Smith on broken jaw: I’m extremely angry
New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith expressed anger over missing the start of his third NFL season while recovering from a broken jaw, but is working on suppressing the feeling while around his teammates, reports Kimberley Martin of Newsday.
“I’m extremely [angry],” Smith said in the Jets locker room Wednesday. “But I have to keep my temper down. I can’t exhibit that in the locker room, I can’t exhibit that on a daily basis.”
Reportedly upset over an unpaid $600 debt, former teammate IK Enemkpali delivered a sucker punch to Smith’s jaw in August, forcing Smith to undergo surgery and miss six to 10 weeks of playing time. The NFL suspended Enemkpali four games, and Smith decided not to press charges.
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Despite saying he was trying to put the incident behind him, Smith also acknowledged he felt frustrated over losing his starting job to Ryan Fitzpatrick, who led the Jets to a 31–10 win over the Browns last Sunday.
“If I was playing bad and got benched, that’s on me. But for something like that to happen, it’s like... What can you do?” Smith said. “You’ve just got to kind of weather the storm and move on from there.”
Smith reported that he was physically feeling good and needs to have one final X-ray, which he will receive in the next week, before he is cleared to play. Smith will remain on the sidelines for New York’s Monday night game against the Colts.
- Erin Flynn
