Kirby Lee – USA TODAY SPORTS
Several reports have surfaced this afternoon that former West Virginia Mountaineers star Geno Smith — who was taken with the 39th overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft by the New York Jets — has fired his agents at Select Sports Group because he was led to believe he would be drafted among the first 10 picks.
If Smith’s agents at SSG did indeed make this promise, the promise was without a foundation, as in reality, the only quarterback taken in the first-round was E.J. Manuel, selected by the Buffalo Bills at pick No. 16.
Smith was indeed so furious with not being selected in the first-round after being physically present at the Draft in New Jersey that he threatened to return home prior to the second-round, much to the chagrin of his former agents who convinced him to stay anyway, unbeknownst to them, their final decision on his behalf.
If Geno Smith had multiple resources, not just his team of agents, telling him he would be a top-10 pick then he by all means would have been able to reserve the right to kick them to the curb post haste like he did without repercussions.
From what I understand, however, this wasn’t the case, and it certainly wasn’t the case with the majority of NFL mock drafts which didn’t see Smith going until exactly where he did — in the mid-second to early-third round.
To me, the pouting, whiny, entitled attitude Geno Smith showed as a result of not being drafted where he thought he should be is a glimpse into a future as a budding diva. Diva status is typically reserved for wide receivers, who, with a few exceptions, have been convinced over time they are god’s gift to the game of football.
This budding diva status — combined with Smith’s tendency at West Virginia to slump his shoulders when things got rough — would certainly be a huge red flag if I was the Jets brass who has brought him into the fold to compete with a legion of other signal callers for the job ostensibly held by Mark Sanchez.
Hopefully Smith will learn to appreciate the fact he is playing a game for a substantial amount of money and let some humility catch up with his ego.
If not, well, we know what will happen if not.
I won’t insult your intelligence.
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Kris Hughes is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. You can follow Kris on Twitter, Google and Facebook
