Geno Smith took a step closer to returning on Monday when he participated in positional drills at practice, but the New York Jets quarterback still had little interest in discussing the incident that has resulted in him being sidelined for several weeks.
Smith told reporters that he will not be pressing charges against former teammate IK Enemkpali, but that was about as far as he was willing to take it. When a reporter asked if he had paid Enemkpali the debt that supposedly led to the infamous punch, Smith clammed up.
Geno Smith on whether he has paid IK Enemkpali: "Next question"
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) September 7, 2015
Geno Smith: "There's obviously a lesson learned in every situation … Good or bad." #nyj
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) September 7, 2015
Geno Smith on fans that were thrown for a loop after the incident: "Imagine how I felt." #nyj
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) September 7, 2015
That last line makes it seem like Smith is not willing to take the blame for the incident, even though one anonymous member of the Jets organization said the 24-year-old was asking to get decked. For what it’s worth, a prominent veteran also came to Smith’s defense.
Smith suffered a broken jaw roughly a month ago and is still expected to return sometime around Week 5. The only way for him to make fans forget about the incident with Enemkpali will be to win football games.
