Geno Smith was heated with Giants over 'dirty play' that led to him leaving game
Geno Smith wasn't happy, and not just because his knee was hurting.
Smith, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback, was injured on a weird play during Seattle's 24-3 win over the New York Giants. He threw a pass that was batted back to him, so he caught it and took off to his left. Right as he reached the sideline, Giants linebacker Isaiah Simmons got to him. Then Simmons proceeded to drag him down from behind and land on his legs. Smith was in the green part of the sideline by the time he was brought down, which was very late but no flag was thrown.
Smith limped around a bit and then came straight off the sideline to go confront the Giants' defense over what he thought was a dirty play.
Geno Smith showed his frustration after Isaiah Simmons tackled him on the sideline 😳#SEAvsNYG pic.twitter.com/d0trgckmkc
— ESPN (@espn) October 3, 2023
After the game, Smith said he didn't appreciate the play, calling it dirty.
"A dirty play. Dirty play. You guys can see it, it was a dirty play," Smith told ESPN's Lisa Salters after the game. "There's no place in this sport for that.
"I just don't respect that type of stuff. There's no need for that type of stuff. It's a hard fought game out there, we're all battling, but there's no need to take shots at guys running out of bounds on the sideline."
Smith stayed in but before the Seahawks' next series, he went to the medical tent on the sideline. Drew Lock came out to play quarterback for a series that ended with a touchdown run set up by Lock's 51-yard pass to Noah Fant. Smith was shown being brought back to the locker room for X-rays at the two-minute warning before halftime. Smith did return for the second half. On the Seahawks' first possession of the second half he took a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, presumably stemming from his lingering anger at the Giants.
He played the rest of the game but didn't have to do much as the Seahawks coasted to a victory on the backs of a stellar defensive outing.
Smith is a fiery competitor. He wasn't happy with what he thought was a late tackle, and he didn't hide his feelings on it.