Given the context of this discussion and the ground it has covered the last few pages, this is a great post. We can talk about IK if we want to, but on a going forward basis HIS judgment is yesterday's news. He's gone. Smith is still on the roster. He remains part of the conversation here that is the New York Jets. In that connection, even if you want to argue that IK's punch was however much wrong you want to call it, no one here can say that Smith had no role in the situation. He does not get off the hook.
I rather not live a great life and still keep my pride somewhat instead of letting people push me around and then run away whenever somebody threatens me. I wasn't brought up that way. Not sure what kind of life is worth living like that. Kissing ass at your job and being the joke in your neighborhood is not exactly what I'm striving for. I doubt your parents, kids or wife would be too proud of you either if you did that. Would you tell your son to run away if somebody is picking on him in school everyday? Do you realize how many people committ suicide because of being picked on all the time? And why do you think parents teach their kids to not just take being pushed around in school at an early age? So that they learn to run away by the time they grow up? Of course not. It's so that they learn to stick up for themselves. The only difference is that adults usually don't start fight for no reason, you don't go hanging out and some 45 year old comes up to you and tells you that you're fat. Adults don't do that, they are mature. That's why adults rarely fight. There's no reason to. In school you get picked on all time, you have to learn to defend yourself. That doesn't make you a knucklehead.
Put me in the pack that doesn't want to see geno on this team. I tried to be even keeled with him and than this. No more bums that can't win but cause distraction and chaos among the team and the fans. Too many excuses for this bum.
And with this post I think everyone can stop entertaining conversations with this guy. I appreciate everything you do with training camp updates, I really do... gets me through a lot of work days... but this is just an uncommon viewpoint that I don't think anyone here is going to agree with. That's fine, but just don't be surprised.
Yes especially if I'm at work and my job undoubtedly would be lost if I punched a co worker in the face. Sorry man but my son isn't getting fed if I get fired for punching someone in the face. The 600 dollars is trivial, yes there is a certain principle involved but I also wouldn't be giving someone 600 dollars if it meant the difference of paying my rent or not. I seriously doubt unemployment is going to cut me a break for being terminated for workplace violence. Throw in the potential of getting sued and then possibly arrested.... yeah I'll walk away.
As a long time Smith skeptic here, I guess his fans would expect bona fides to be established first, which for them means condemning IK in the harshest terms. Since I was not in the locker room, I will go so far as to say it sounds like he should not have punched Smith. But.... I find it very revealing that Darrelle Revis in effect blamed both parties, and he was there. There not only yesterday, but as this conflict apparently developed over a period of time. I am also one who has been concerned about patterns in Smith's behavior over time. Lawyers call such behavior evidence of course of conduct. Patterns and practices. Now Smith has not to my knowledge been involved in physical altercations of this sort before, so of course that is not what we are talking about. But lack of judgment? There's been plenty of evidence of that. Do we need to list the events and circumstances? I also don't think the other players have a great deal of respect for him. Just this week I read an article talkng about Ladainian Tomlinson visiting his old team. Perhaps I was reading between the lines too much, but it sounded like his skepticism over Smith as expressed there reflected teh views of some of his old teammates. Well, even if hat was not the case, I see little evidence of respect for Smith by his fellow teammates. why should they? He singlehandedly lost games for them over the last two seasons. On a subjective level I do not see him as an effective leader. It's more like he's been asked to just not screw it up and the real core players on the team will do what they can to carry them as far as they can. So, on a going forward basis, what does this incident say about Smith and his potential ability to become a team leader, an effective leader? Nothing good.
IK hasn't earned his stripes, but he wasn't the one who owed somebody money, he didn't start this thing, he didn't put his finger in Geno's face. And if that guy is twice your size you REALLY should think about putting your finger in his face twice.
Has anybody actually agreed with you on anything? Have you heard what most if not all the players, ex players and beat writers are saying? Why do they stick up for a nobody like IK instead of defending a starting QB? Maybe you don't realize it but you are extremely biased towards Geno. Every little thing somebody brings up you get offended by, even by the lame Geno jokes. Take a few steps back and look at the entire thing.
The discussion here about whether IK should have walked away or not is one I would imagine is not one where the Jet players themselves would be in agreement. Is that not a cause for concern here as well? I would imagine there are players who more or less think Smith had it coming even if they think IK, for his own well being, made a mistake and it will be costing him big time. I doubt all the players think Smith is totally blameless in all this. So how will whatever large a number of the players view Smith when he comes back? He will come back physically, but how does he get a team that already had mixed views of him to get in his corner? I dont see how he can. That will be another factor in determining his future with the Jets. Added in with his interceptions, fumbles, dropping back to give up big sacks, lack of effectiveness in the red zone. And of course arguing on planes, arguing with fans, missing team meetings. And of course going forward, what does he get another mulligan? Do the Jets set up 2016 as another year where they give him the starting job to see what he can do? At this point I can't see the Jets extending this experiment into next year.
Wait, what?! You're gonna have to provide some links here... You are literally the only person I've heard defending IK's actions.
I love how you went through all your legal troubles and the advice you got from your attorney, your future jobs, how you'll pay your rent, put food on the table and whatnot over something that goes by so quick, in half a second. Look, I hear you on this. If you're rational, if you think about the consequences, if you weigh out both sides, either punch somebody or keep your job, your salary, not having to move and whatnot, of course in hindsight you'll say it'd be better to avoid it. But these things happen out of nowhere, guys don't think, they just react. IK has already explained that it was a mistake and he wished he had just walked away from the situation. He's not stupid. Nobody is ever proud of doing something like that when they lose their job. Nobody says "yep, that was the right thing to do! I was 100% right!". He made a big mistake. So did Sheldon. Sheldon easily could have killed himself, along with at least 3 other people that night. The only reason he didn't was because he was lucky. Yet the team's got his back even though he just flat out lied to us. Throwing IK under the bus the way we did doesn't help this issue. Bowles should have not used the words sucker punch, because it wasn't. A suspension for a few games would have been fine, but they just immediately had to release him, like on the dot without really letting a couple of days go by first and everything calm down. Then you can still make a decision. Maybe let the two talk it over. It's tough considering the damage but just immediately cutting IK and kind of throwing him under the bus more than they had to didn't help, it make this thing even bigger than it was. Which says a lot because this was pretty ridiculous.
I see you're a tough guy. You would probably be the first guy begging to go to PC if you ever went to prison. The fact that you automatically see weakness because someone has the strength to walk away, tells me you have a problem. Not fighting does not mean you get pushed around, it doesn't mean you kiss ass at your job, it does not mean you are the joke anywhere. You know what I taught my son, don't start a fight but if someone hits you then you finish them. He was not a bully but he finished a few bullies off. I also know that my parents, kids or wife would not be proud of me if I went to jail for assaulting someone because they called me names, that you think that defines you speaks volumes. Usually those that have to talk themselves up on an internet forum are deficient in real life.
