Geno Smith has a bad temper. That isn't meant to throw shade at the former Seattle Seahawks quarterback. His history in the NFL proves that. He got into fisticuffs with a player with the first team that drafted him, the New York Jets. With Seattle, Smith would often show his displeasure on the sidelines with a player he thought caused a mistake.
Smith has often let his emotions get the better of him, and almost always for the worse. He also seems to lack the self-awareness of how his actions will be viewed. During the Raiders and Seahawks preseason game this season, Smith raised his middle finger to a 12 who was holding up a sign he didn't like, for instance.
Some in the national media defended Smith, but that was rather silly. Fans are going to fan, after all, and surely the quarterback understands that and let's things go. But no.
Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith can't stop being classless
Recently, the new Las Vegas Raiders quarterback raised his middle finger to his own fans after his team lost to the lowly Cleveland Browns in Week 12. The move was classless and could be one of the many things that cause Geno Smith to be one-and-done with Vegas.
Smith has since apologized for his action, but did so in classic Smith fashion.
He said, "I would like to apologize to the fans (and) Raider Nation. I made a poor judgment out of frustration. And that's not an excuse. I've got to be better than that and hold myself to a higher standard. In that moment, I didn't. I'm sincerely apologetic and very sorry for doing that. I just want to make it known that those things will never happen from me again."
First, most likely, the quarterback will flip fans off again. It has only been a few months since he last did so.
Secondly, his apology might seem familiar to Seahawks fans. It was the same kind of thing that Smith would say after a loss. He would accept blame because he knew that was expected of him, but it meant little change from him in the future.
Lastly, a big reason that the Las Vegas Raiders are 2-9 is that Geno Smith has been pretty terrible. His offensive coordinator has now been fired, and it is likely only a matter of time before the quarterback gets head coach Pete Carroll terminated, too.
While Smith signed an extension with Las Vegas after being traded by the Seattle Seahawks this past offseason, the Raiders could release Smith next offseason and save $8 million. That might be a smart move because it seems, once again, Vegas will be starting over again.