Though Geno Smith is a veteran quarterback who has dealt with a lot of hardship in his career, the Las Vegas Raiders might be his most difficult stop yet. The team traded for him in the offseason and gave him a good contract extension, but he hasn’t played well.
Fans have quickly turned on him, as he has yet to have a game to warrant their admiration. Things got ugly during the Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns. At the end of the game, cameras caught Smith flipping his middle finger to fans as he left the field.
The Raiders had to issue a statement on the matter, so that meant the NFL was also aware. Players absolutely can’t be throwing obscene gestures at fans, so Smith was likely expecting a punishment. However, if he is getting punished, it won’t come from the league directly.
The NFL announced its fines from Week 12, and Smith was not among them. Perhaps it was because the video was caught by fans, and not the broadcast. Regardless, it’s still surprised considering Smith and the Raiders have addressed the incident.
Smith Apologized for Incident
As a veteran quarterback with over a decade of experience, there aren’t many excuses for Smith to be acting immature with fans. It’s been a tough season, but he should keep those feelings to himself.
He understands that and apologized for his actions.
“I would like to apologize to the fans (and) Raider Nation,” Smith said. “I made a poor judgment out of frustration. And that’s not an excuse. I’ve got to be better than that and hold myself to a higher standard. In that moment, I didn’t. I’m sincerely apologetic and very sorry for doing that.”
Smith also said that it won’t happen again. If it does, that would be the third time he’s flipped off a crowd this season, which might lead to the NFL taking tougher action.
Smith Still Confident in Pete Carroll
In many cases, Smith likely would’ve been benched already. He’s not playing well and not setting a great example as a leader of the team.
He’s fortunate that head coach Pete Carroll is very loyal to him. Many are questioning if Carroll still has what it takes to be a head coach in the NFL, but Smith is standing behind him.
“I have tremendous confidence in Coach [Pete] Carroll,” Smith said. “He hasn’t changed one bit since he’s gotten here. Coach Carroll is the same guy every single day. That’s what you can appreciate about him. No matter what the situation is, it doesn’t dictate his mood or his effort or just the juice and the energy he brings to the building.
“And so, for us, man, we just got to, like I said, man, continue to believe in what he’s preaching and continue to hold the rope which guys are doing. Guys are in the weight room working hard, in the classroom studying, working hard, and we’re really trying to turn it around and get better as a team. And so, Coach Carroll is doing the right thing, and we’ve got to keep following him.”
Smith and Carroll have each other’s back, but it remains to be seen if that will matter at the end of the season when the Raiders have to make some tough decisions.
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