IK Enemkpali got fired (and quickly re-hired in Buffalo) for punching Jets quarterback Geno Smith in the face.
But while the Jets came out quickly to describe it as a sucker punch, the idea that Smith played a role in his own getting punched is gaining traction.
Via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, unnamed sources within the team are saying Smith “deserved it.”
Smith “was up in [Enemkpali’s] face and pointed/touched his face,” an eyewitness told the Daily News.
That followed Ryan Clark’s defense of Enemkpali on ESPN Radio earlier Wednesday morning, as he explained the situation surrounding Smith stiffing the linebacker out of $600 worth of travel expenses.