FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — It had been nearly two weeks since absurdity befell the New York Jets, an epoch in their tormented history.
The latest embarrassing episode did not play out on the field, where three years ago quarterback Mark Sanchez fumbled after ramming into an offensive lineman’s backside. Or at a lectern, where in 2010 Rex Ryan fielded questions about foot fetish videos believed to feature him and his wife. Or in an office, where Bill Belichick handed the team president a note saying he had resigned as “HC of the NYJ” after one day on the job in 2000.
It happened in the locker room Tuesday morning, where a punch from a reserve linebacker connected with the jaw of the presumptive starting quarterback, another bizarre incident in the franchise’s copious annals of mayhem.
The quarterback, Geno Smith, has a broken jaw and is expected to miss at least the next six weeks after coach Todd Bowles said he was “cold-cocked, sucker-punched, whatever you want to call it” by Ikemefuna Enemkpali, who was quickly released.
“It’s something we don’t tolerate; it’s something we can’t stand,” Bowles said. “And you don’t walk up to another man and punch him in the face.”
The incident shocked and deflated the Jets, scrubbing the optimism that has permeated the franchise since a new regime took over in January and revamped the roster after four seasons without reaching the playoffs.
Even the most veteran players had trouble recalling the last time they had seen or heard about a punch thrown in the locker room, an intense place where bonds are forged and respect is earned or lost. It left them wondering how, and why, what cornerback Darrelle Revis characterized as a “miscommunication” could escalate into a confrontation that threatens to undermine the Jets’ season before it even starts.
Bowles would not disclose what prompted the altercation other than to call it “very childish” and something unrelated to football that “sixth-graders could have talked about.” Published reports, citing anonymous sources, indicate that it derived from Smith’s failure to reimburse Enemkpali $600 in airfare and limousine fees after Smith could not attend Enemkpali’s charity event last month in Texas.
Enemkpali (pronounced in-em-PAUL-ee) apologized to the Jets’ organization and their fans in a statement.
“Geno and I let our frustration get the best of us, but I should have just walked away from the situation,” he said. “I deeply regret and apologize for my actions. It was never my intention to harm anyone.”
Declining to address specifics of the disagreement, Revis said he held both players responsible. “Fights do happen in training camp,” Revis said. “They usually happen on the field.”
By the time the Jets poured onto the field for a morning practice, they were gripped by confusion — a sense, as center Nick Mangold put it, of, What just happened?
There was no sign of Enemkpali or Smith, and no one at the time knew the severity of Smith’s injury.
In his first training camp as Jets coach, Bowles has had to navigate several tricky situations, and players have praised his firm but measured approach. His first teachable moment came 12 days ago in his handling of Sheldon Richardson.
A star defensive lineman who was already suspended for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, Richardson was charged with resisting arrest and several traffic violations after a car he was driving was clocked at 143 mph. The car also contained a 12-year-old and a loaded handgun and smelled of marijuana, a police report said. Bowles stressed that he cared more about Richardson as a person than a player despite his questionable decision-making.
On Tuesday, Bowles cut Enemkpali without hesitation after gathering information, and he said he would have done the same with anyone else.
“You don’t want to learn too many lessons,” Bowles said. “Lately, we’ve learned about three in a row, so we’ve got to get it at some point, and we’ve got to understand what type of team we need to be, what kind of locker room we’re going to have going forward.”
When Bowles addressed the team before practice Tuesday, he did not so much speak as scold, his remarks spiced with expletives.
“It’s hard enough playing 16 games against people that want to beat you,” Mangold said, distilling Bowles’ message. “We shouldn’t put ourselves behind the 8-ball. I think that would be putting yourself behind the 8-ball off the table in a different room.”
Smith, who is scheduled to have surgery, posted a message on Instagram saying, “I’ll be back.” He can return no sooner than Week 3, based on the most sanguine of estimates, and it is no guarantee that he retains his job.
