Bills claim Geno Smith sucker-puncher IK Enemkpali
Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan wasn’t deterred by IK Enemkpali’s sucker-punch, which left Jets quarterback Geno Smith out for 6-10 weeks with a broken jaw. Ryan and the Bills claimed the former Jets linebacker off waivers Thursday, according to The New York Post. The Jets waived him after the locker room altercation, which was reportedly over a $600 plane ticket, for which Smith was supposed to but did not reimburse Enemkpali.
This signing comes seven months after Ryan said he wanted “to build a bully,’’ and six months after the team signed Richie Incognito, who was at the center of the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal.
While with the Jets, Ryan drafted Enemkpali in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
“Obviously it was a terrible thing that happened, and IK made a mistake there’s no question about that,’’ Ryan told reporters at Bills training camp, via The Post. “But instead of listening to this person or that person, we had IK last year. A lot of us were around IK and he was a good teammate. It’s as simple as that.’’
Enemkpali released a statement on Twitter apologizing to the Jets’ fan base and to the Jets organization.
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“We researched him, and this isn’t just a bad guy,’’ Ryan said. “I think he made a mistake, clearly made a mistake, but I just know first-hand being around this young man for a year that I feel very confident that he’ll be just fine here.’’
Ryan said he wouldn’t make any promises about whether Enemkpali would make the team. The Jets play their first preseason game on Thursday in Detroit against the Lions.
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