Jets WR Brandon Marshall: ‘Geno Smith did nothing wrong’

Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall says quarterback Geno Smith was innocent in his recent quarrel with linebacker IK Enemkpali.

New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshallsaid Monday on FOX that quarterback Geno Smith was innocent in his recent quarrel with linebacker IK Enemkpali.

“I was sitting right there and I would say this without going into too many details because we’ve already moved past it: Geno Smith did nothing wrong,” Marshall, a ten-year NFL veteran, said. “He did nothing wrong. … And that’s all I’m going to say about that because we have to move forward and I don’t want to be a distraction to our team, but Geno Smith did everything the right way.”

The Aug. 11 locker room incident that left the 24-year-old Smith with a broken jaw was reportedly over a $600 plane ticket that Enemkpali wanted refunded by Smith. Smith underwent jaw surgery last Thursday and is expected to miss the first six to 10 weeks of the season.

• BURKE: Smith's broken jaw leaves the Jets staggering into season

Previous reports suggested the third-year quarterback stuck his finger in Enemkpali's face and provoked the fight.

“Did he point his finger in his face? No, he didn’t,” Marshall told FOX. “Geno Smith, he didn’t do anything wrong that day. It’s just an unfortunate situation. It’s a body blow for us, but we have to move forward. We’ll probably have another couple of days, a couple of weeks with the New York media, of answering these questions. But we’re built for this. We don’t want any distractions. We just want to move forward. We feel like we have a great opportunity.”

Enemkpali, who enters his second season in the NFL, was released by New York and claimed on waivers Wednesday by the Buffalo Bills.

New York opens the 2015 season on Sept. 13 at home against the Cleveland Browns.

- Kayla Lombardo