Jets QB Geno Smith fires agents because he wasn't drafted 1st overall
Four days after Geno Smith slid out of the first round of the draft, the former West Virginia quarterback fired his agents due to his displeasure over his draft position, according to sources.The Daily News has learned that Smith thought that he would and should be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Sources told the News that Smith’s agents from Select Sports Group gave him no assurance of his draft position.
Unbelievable.
Confidence is one thing, but this is delusional arrogance if what I am reading is correct. He wasn't drafted in the first round because he wasn't a first round talent. Why is his own lack of talent the fault of his agents?
The only possibility that can save Smith from this faux pas is that perhaps he is upset at the agents filling him with dreams that were never going to happen, and they came crashing down to earth this past Thursday. There is a tendency of agents telling their clients what the player wants to hear in order to sign them and retain them. Tell the client the truth and what they need to hear, and the agent runs a large risk of losing that client.
Here is the thing though: even if that is the case, isn't it the responsibility of the player to instruct his agent to be honest with him and act in his best interests, rather than just stroking his ego? Even though these players are relatively young, they are still adults and as such they are responsible for their own actions.
I just don't buy that excuse. If that is the case, then it is just as much on Smith as it is on the agents. Hey, all he had to do was read any of the thousands of pre-draft rankings and mock drafts that were readily available to get an idea on where he would be drafted. If he had done so, he would have known he wasn't going to be drafted first overall.
I can envision a serious amount of lack of accountability going forward. What kind of a leader is a person going to be, when he is so quick to blame others for his own "failings" - as if being drafted 39th overall is some sort of failure?
I can only imagine how quickly and how often he will throw his teammates and coaches under the bus. The sense of entitlement may end up making Jamarcus Russell to appear to have a strong work ethic.
If this is how Geno Smith handles negativity and adversity, then what is going to happen after his first bad game? How is he going to handle the New York media? We may be in for some Ryan Leaf comparisons before all the leaves have fallen.
Way to endear yourself to your fans, your teammates, and to your fellow NFL draftees Geno. You should fit right in at the circus known as Rex' Jests.
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