Jets' Brandon Marshall: 'Geno Smith Did Nothing Wrong'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall has come to Geno Smith's defense, saying the injured quarterback was not at fault in last week's locker-room fight.
In an interview Monday with Fox News Channel, Marshall said he saw then-teammate Ikemefuna Enemkpali punch Smith and break his jaw. Some reports suggested Smith stuck a finger in Enemkpali's face.
"I was sitting right there and I would say this without going into too many details because we've already moved past it: Geno Smith did nothing wrong," Marshall said on "Fox & Friends," according to the New York Daily News. "He did nothing wrong. ... And that's all I'm going to say about that because we have to move forward and I don't want to be a distraction to our team, but Geno Smith did everything the right way."
"People think it's a distraction," he added. "It is. It sucks. It was shocking. I'm very disappointed. I feel bad for the kid, because he was doing really good. But we have to move forward if we want to win. Geno knows that."
The receiver roomed with the quarterback in the offseason and said Smith has been "on the right track."
"He's young," Marshall said. "He's 24. It hasn't been his team. He's been in and out of the lineup the last couple years. There's been a lot of question marks. But I don't care about the past. I care about what he's done this offseason and OTAs and in camp and leading up to that day. To me, he's been a leader. He's getting better at it. It wasn't his team. He had to earn that and he still has to continue to earn that."
Smith had surgery Thursday to insert screws and metal plates in his jaw. He is expected to be out six to 10 weeks. Enemkpali was cut and claimed on waivers by Buffalo.
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