Jets quarterback Geno Smith is learning the hard way that this NFL thing is a business, and with that business will come a lot of sharp criticism from outsiders.
Smith has started to try to repair and image that was drafted during the NFL Draft process by anonymous scouts, and media who deemed the strong armed quarterback a diva, and a distraction.
Smith said reports about his immature behavior before and after the draft were “inaccurate,” during an interview with Alex Marvez of Fox Sports.
“It’s just eye-opening. It allows you to see exactly what business you’re in,” Smith said. “I understand it’s part of my job to handle that. I’m going to take it in stride and do all the things that are necessary to make me and my team look good.”
Smith did admit that he thinks he’s been unfairly criticized.
“From the standpoint of me being a diva, you talk to my teammates and coaches from Little League. Nobody will say that,” Smith said. “From the standpoint that I switched agents because of where I fell in the draft, I’m not naive. I understand an agent can’t get you selected higher or lower. It’s based on what teams need and the decisions they make in the front office.
“Just the whole draft experience and everything that went down, I was supposed to be leaving the draft and all that stuff, that was inaccurate again. There were a lot of things that were said that were anonymous and inaccurate. But all that comes with [the territory]. I’m built for it, so I’m not really worried about it.”
I hope Geno does learn to handle it properly, because he’s in New York City and plenty of it will come on a daily basis.