Jets’ Geno Smith Out 6 to 10 Weeks After Teammate Punches Him in the Jaw

New York Jets’ quarterback Geno Smith will sit out for at least six weeks after being punched in the jaw by his teammate in the locker room on Tuesday morning. The team has released the player who allegedly threw the punch, outside linebacker Ikemefuna Enemkpali, according to the New York Times.

Jets coach Todd Bowles would not disclose in a news conference the reason for the physical altercation, saying it “very childish” and the kind of argument “sixth-graders could have talked about.”

Smith is set to have surgery. While he is out, Ryan Fitzpatrick will replace Smith as starting quarterback.

Smith’s absence from the field will hit the Jets hard. The team already lost star defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson to a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Richardson was arrested in Missouri after driving a car containing a 12-year-old and a loaded gun at 143 miles per hour. The police report said the car smelled like marijuana.

[NYT]