Geno Smith's Father Received a Death Threat After QB Named Giants Starter

Geno Smith Jr., the father of New York Giants quarterback Geno Smith III, received death threats after his son was named the team's starter for its Week 13 game against the Oakland Raiders. 

Per Dan Duggan of NJ Advance Media, Smith Jr. explained the phone call he received from a fan threatening to kill him. 

"I was just at work," he said. "I answered and he was like, 'Geno?' So I just listened and he was like, 'Is this Geno?' I was like, 'Yeah.' He was like, 'Your son better not start or we're going to kill you.' I kind of just laughed and then he hung up." 

Smith Jr. said he didn't take the threat seriously because "if someone was going to kill me, they ain't going to call me and tell me."

Smith III noted the family didn't report the incident to NFL security or the police department. 

"Maybe if it was a consistent thing, but it was just a one-time deal along with all the other crap-talk that's out there, so we really didn't do anything," he said. "He's a tough guy. He's one of those people (who's) not afraid of anything. That's kind of how we are—just fearless."

The Giants made a surprise move to bench quarterback Eli Manning, who made 210 consecutive starts dating back to 2004, against the Raiders after getting off to a 2-9 start. 

Smith III signed with the Giants in the offseason and won the backup job by beating out Josh Johnson in the preseason. The 27-year-old went 21-of-34 for 212 yards with one touchdown in New York's 24-17 loss to the Raiders.