IK Enemkpali
No. 51, 75 | |||||
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Position: | Defensive end | ||||
Personal information | |||||
Born: | Pflugerville, Texas, U.S. | July 3, 1991||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||
Weight: | 261 lb (118 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Pflugerville | ||||
College: | Louisiana Tech | ||||
NFL draft: | 2014 / Round: 6 / Pick: 210 | ||||
Career history | |||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Ikemefuna Chinedum "IK" Enemkpali (born July 3, 1991) is a former
Enemkpali is most known due to his altercation with quarterback Geno Smith, when he punched Smith in the jaw over a $1,200 plane ticket dispute, $600 of which was to be reimbursed. The punch broke Smith's jaw and led to the release of Enemkpali.
Early years
Enemkpali was born in Pflugerville,
College career
Enemkpali attended Louisiana Tech University from 2009 to 2013. He was selected to the 2012 First-team All-WAC and All-Louisiana First-team in his junior season. He was named as the 2012 Fred Dean Defensive Player of the Year in junior season. He was selected 2013 First-team All-Conference USA and All-Louisiana First-team following his senior season. He was selected as the 2013 Willie Roaf Lineman of the Year in his senior season.[2]
Professional career
New York Jets
Enemkpali was selected by the
On August 11, 2015, Enemkpali got into an altercation with quarterback Geno Smith in the locker room, regarding $600 Smith allegedly owed Enemkpali. Enemkpali punched Smith in his face, strong enough to break his jaw. The Jets released Enemkpali shortly thereafter.[4][5]
Buffalo Bills
On August 12, 2015, one day after being
On August 12, 2016, Enemkpali got into an altercation with offensive lineman and teammate Cyrus Kouandjio during training camp.[12] One day later, Enemkpali suffered a knee injury during the first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, which was eventually revealed to be a torn ACL, and it prematurely ended his 2016 season.[13] He was granted free agency following the season.
Oakland Raiders
On August 4, 2017, the Oakland Raiders signed Enemkpali.[14] The team waived him on September 2, 2017.[15]
Personal life
Enemkpali's sister, Nneka, played basketball for the Texas Longhorns from 2011 until 2015. The Seattle Storm selected her with the twenty-sixth overall pick in the 2015 WNBA draft.[16]
2011 arrest
When Enemkpali was 19, he threw a punch at a security guard and was tasered by a deputy.
References
- ^ Nawrocki, Nolan. "Draft 2014: Prospects". National Football League. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Louisiana Tech Profile". latechsports.com.
- ^ "Jets Draft: Get To Know Round 6-7 Selections".
- ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (August 11, 2015). "Geno Smith out 6-10 weeks after being punched in jaw". National Football League. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ Inabinett, Mark (August 11, 2015). "New York Jets altercation creates roster opening for Javier Arenas". AL.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ "Bills claim IK Enemkpali". WGRZ. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ Sessler, Marc (September 7, 2015). "Buffalo Bills sign IK Enemkpali to practice squad". NFL.com. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ Patra, Kevin. "Enemkpali suspended 4 games for punching Geno". Official Site of the National Football League. NFL. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- ^ "Ian Rapoport on Twitter". Twitter.
- ^ Ortega, Mark. "Enemkpali added to Buffalo Bills' 53-man roster". Official Site of the National Football League. NFL. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ "Chris Brown". Twitter.
- ^ Hendricks, Jaclyn (August 12, 2016). "IK Enemkpali tries to punch teammate, exactly 1 year after Geno Smith". New York Post. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ^ "Enemkpali tears ACL, out for 2016 season". NFL. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- ^ "Raiders Announce Transactions". Raiders.com. August 4, 2017.
- ^ "Raiders Announce Transactions". Raiders.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ "Nneka Enemkpali's Texas Profile". The Official Website of UT Athletics. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ^ Shpigel, Ben (August 15, 2015). "Raised to Be Respectful, Ikemefuna Enemkpali Lets a Dispute Get the Better of Him". The New York Times. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ O'Keeffe, Michael; Shapiro, Rich (August 12, 2015). "Before punching Geno Smith, ex-Jets LB IK Enemkpali attacked a police officer in 2011". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 8, 2024.