Geno Smith was benched by Virgin Atlantic on Friday.
Credit: Getty Images
For a player on the Jets, Geno Smith apparently doesn’t have one airline backing him up.
Sports gossip site Deadspin reported Friday afternoon the Jets quarterback was escorted out of Los Angeles International Airport by police after getting into an argument with airport workers at the gate. The Daily News confirmed the report, and said he was kicked off a Virgin Atlantic flight for refusing to hang up his phone before takeoff.
The Daily News reports Smith was only escorted out of the airport after Virgin refused to rebook him on another flight.
TMZ spoke to Smith after being escorted from the gate, where he claimed he did nothing wrong and he was just listening to music with his headphones on and did not hear a call to turn off electronic devices.
He was not charged in the incident after speaking to police.
Smith just finished his rookie season with the Jets, leading them to an 8-8 record.
The signal caller was drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Jets after falling from projections of being an early first-round pick. One of the knocks against Smith was his maturity.
Ironically, one complaint was that he texted with friends and checked Twitter on his cell phone during meetings with team officials leading up to the draft. Smith was criticized for acting spoiled and not being a leader while at West Virginia as well.
He fired his agent and signed with Roc Nation Sports a week after slipping to the second round.
But Smith received unequivocal praise from everybody on the Jets’ coaching staff and in the front office all season. He showed no signs of immaturity with the media and by all accounts handled himself well even when he was benched in the second half of games where he struggled mightily.
The FAA announced Oct. 31, 2013 that it would no longer restrict plane passengers from using electronic devices from takeoff to landing, though it’s up to the individual airline to enforce the policy and calls are still not allowed.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.
