IK Enemkpali faces at least a four-game suspension, report says
By Frank Schwab2 hours agoShutdown Corner
What happens in the locker room doesn't always stay in the locker room, especially when you break your teammate's jaw with a punch.
There isn't much precedent for punishment of teammates who fight each other in the locker room, but Buffalo Bills pass rusher IK Enemkpali was given at least a four-game suspension, which could be as many as six games, for breaking Geno Smith's jaw with a punch in the New York Jets' locker room according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Enemkpali was cut immediately by the Jets, picked up by the Buffalo Bills, cut by the Bills after preseason and added to their practice squad. The NFL cited a violation of the personal-conduct policy in suspending Enemkpali, Rapoport reported.
Smith has said he won't press charges over the punch, but he'll miss the start of the regular season. The NFL couldn't just have its players punching each other without any punishment, even if it happened in the locker room. A player breaking a teammate's jaw doesn't exactly paint the picture of a professional workplace environment. So the league wasn't letting this slide. The NFL Network reported that Enemkpali is appealing.
Enemkpali was a fairly anonymous player before this controversy happened. He's now well known. He even got on the NFL league office's radar.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him atshutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
Full article: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...r-game-suspension--report-says-142726347.html
By Frank Schwab2 hours agoShutdown Corner
What happens in the locker room doesn't always stay in the locker room, especially when you break your teammate's jaw with a punch.
There isn't much precedent for punishment of teammates who fight each other in the locker room, but Buffalo Bills pass rusher IK Enemkpali was given at least a four-game suspension, which could be as many as six games, for breaking Geno Smith's jaw with a punch in the New York Jets' locker room according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Enemkpali was cut immediately by the Jets, picked up by the Buffalo Bills, cut by the Bills after preseason and added to their practice squad. The NFL cited a violation of the personal-conduct policy in suspending Enemkpali, Rapoport reported.
Smith has said he won't press charges over the punch, but he'll miss the start of the regular season. The NFL couldn't just have its players punching each other without any punishment, even if it happened in the locker room. A player breaking a teammate's jaw doesn't exactly paint the picture of a professional workplace environment. So the league wasn't letting this slide. The NFL Network reported that Enemkpali is appealing.
Enemkpali was a fairly anonymous player before this controversy happened. He's now well known. He even got on the NFL league office's radar.
- - - - - - -
Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him atshutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
Full article: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...r-game-suspension--report-says-142726347.html
