IK Enemkpali Released by Jets After Punching Geno Smith in Locker Room Fight

In the wake of a locker room altercation that left quarterback Geno Smith with a broken jaw, linebacker IK Enemkpali was released by the New York Jets on Tuesday.  

The Jets made the move official on their Twitter account. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, New York's third-year signal-caller is expected to miss between six and 10 weeks after Enemkpali punched him.

Per Seth Walder of the New York Daily News, Jets head coach Todd Bowles was extremely displeased with the incident, which will test his quarterback depth significantly.

"There was an altercation in the locker room," Bowles said. "Had nothing to do with football. Something very childish. He got cold-cocked, sucker-punched, whatever you want to call it, in the jaw."

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport provided some context with regard to the fight and why it ultimately occurred:

The Jets selected Enemkpali in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft out of Louisiana Tech with the knowledge that he had a history of violence, according to Dane Brugler of CBS Sports:

That manifested itself Tuesday, and it has put New York in an extremely difficult position leading up to the regular season. With Smith out of action, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick figures to land the starting role, with rookie Bryce Petty serving as his primary backup.

On the defensive side of the ball, Enemkpali was far from a sure thing to make the roster, although he did appear in six games last season.

New York still has a formidable linebacker corps, featuring Quinton Coples, Jason Babin, Calvin Pace and rookie Lorenzo Mauldin on the outside, which means the loss of Enemkpali will primarily be felt on special teams.

Cutting ties with a recently drafted player is rarely an easy decision since it is essentially an admittance of a mistake, but the Jets had no other option if they wanted to regain some semblance of locker room unity.

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