Coming out of college at West Virginia in 2013, Geno Smith was one of the most sought after and talented prospects at quarterback in the NFL Draft. After a rough, four-year tenure with the New York Jets to open his career, he became a journeyman quarterback, never living up to the hype he established for himself early on.
This season, his second year as the backup QB for the Seattle Seahawks, he was tasked with filling in for star QB Russell Wilson when he went down with a finger injury mid-season. Smith threw five touchdowns and 700+ yards in the handful of games he played in, and only one interception.
However, after Seattle wrapped up their disappointing season on a high note Sunday, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 38-30 to finish with a 7-10 record, Geno Smith got carried away with his celebration. After the team returned to Seattle from Arizona, Geno was arrested at 2 a.m. local time Monday morning (Jan. 10) for DUI in Kings County, WA.
Smith was initially stopped for speeding, but was then under suspicion of driving under the influence, and was taken to the Kings County jail where he was released seven hours later in custody.
Today (Jan. 11), Smith released a statement through Twitter about the incident and asked fans to reserve judgement until the case is sorted out: “Being arrested brings a taint onto the reputation that is impossible to undo, no matter what really happened. I’m asking all of you to hold back on judging me the same as you would do for a friend or family member. I’ll have more to say down the road & ask that you bare with me.”
Geno’s contract with Seattle has ended, and he will hit the free agency market this summer. Do you think this will affect his ability to find another team to sign with?
[Via]