Deadbeat Geno Smith Was Never Going to Repay Teammate, Probably Deserved Broken Jaw

Image via Zimbio

Earlier this week ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the locker room fight between former New York Jets teammates Geno Smith and IK Enemkpali, which resulted in a broken jaw for the former and pink slip for the latter, was the result of an unsettled $600 debt.

The money was for a plane ticket Enemkpali had purchased for Smith, who agreed to attend the linebacker’s youth football camp in Texas. When Smith was unable to attend for personal reasons, he agreed reimburse Enemkpali for the flight. The reasonable and fair thing to do, particularly given the gap in their annual income.

On Twitter, Schefter emphasized the beleaguered quarterback had every intention of paying his teammate back, making it seem that Enemkpali was being unreasonably aggressive about collecting—like a bright future with Chase repossessing houses from low income family aggressive.

It's not that Geno Smith didn't pay back IK Enemkpali. He just didn't do it yet. He intended to pay him back, per sources. Just not in time.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 11, 2015

Schefter’s sources are usually reliable, but it was very telling that Smith’s teammates were so quick to point out Enemkpali’s sucker-punch was a joint effort. Even head coach Todd Bowles said, “It takes two to tango.” Those would be very abnormal reactions to someone breaking a teammate’s jaw for forgetting his checkbook a few times.

But, as it turns out, Smith didn’t forget his checkbook because he never intended to bring it in the first place. According to recently retired safety Ryan Clark, who now works for ESPN, Smith flat-out refused to pay Enemkpali back. And he was a real dick about it too.

“It became about the fact that Geno wasn’t necessarily apologetic and being in a way remorseful about the money when saying he was going to pay I.K. back. you know, he didn’t, and he was rather smug about it. So these guys got into it earlier in camp about this money.

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

This wasn’t the first time they had an issue over this same situation and nothing came from it the first time. You know, the first time they got into an argument, you know, words were said, disrespect thrown both ways, both guys separate and walk away. So when you have that situation happen one time, I’m sure a lot of people weren’t expecting it to get where it’s gone.”

So…um…yeah…wow. Leave it to Geno Smith to make a sucker-punch seem like the only logical option.

It’s hard to believe that Smith might be almost as bad a person as he is at being a quarterback. We’ve had inklings of this over the last two years (flipping off Jets fans, delusional ramblings about being Pro Bowl caliber), but it’s just that he’s soooooooo bad at being a quarterback.

Hats off to the Jets for another epic early round draft bust. And yes, it’s time to officially call time of death on Smith’s career.