Geno Smith sends message to Raiders fans following middle finger incident

Geno Smith sends message to Raiders fans following middle finger incident originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Geno Smith ruffled some feather in Las Vegas when he extended his middle fingers towards Raiders fans following the team’s 24-10 Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Fans were upset, and understandably so.

We knew an apology was coming, and now it’s here.

"I would like to apologize to the fans [and] Raider Nation," Smith said, via ESPN. "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."

Once the Raiders organization was made aware of Geno's gesture they released the following statement:

“The Raiders are aware of an obscene gesture made by Geno Smith towards fans following Sunday’s game at Allegiant Stadium. We are disappointed in his actions and have discussed the incident with Geno. We hold the Raider Nation in the highest regard and take this matter seriously.”

This was just a classic example of a player being frustrated with on-field results and taking it out on the fans. The loss to Cleveland dropped the Raiders to 2-9 on the season and Smith has had an underwhelming campaign individually. All of that just boiled over and resulted in a couple of birds being flipped.

You would think Smith would know better being that he's 35 years old and has been in the league for well over a decade. But, a lesson learned late is better than one never learned at all.

Smith and the Raiders will be seeking their third win of the season when they take on the Chargers in Los Angeles in Week 13.