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Jets fans were not happy with their starting quarterback Geno Smith yesterday. Smith—who has struggled through the first quarter of the 2014-15 NFL season—threw two interceptions and racked up just 209 yards passing during a 24-17 home loss to the Lions. So Jets fans booed him, heckled him, and even chanted "We want Vick!" in an effort to try and force Jets head coach Rex Ryan to insert Michael Vick into the game. It actually got so bad and Smith got so frustrated with what the fans were saying and doing that he yelled "Fuck you!" at a heckler as he walked off the field at the end of the contest.
Smith apologized for dropping an F-bomb on the fan a short time after the game ended and said that he "kind of let my temper get the best of me in that situation." But it's a situation that other athletes and coaches have found themselves in, too. So in light of what Smith did on Sunday, here's A Recent History of Athletes and Coaches Cursing at Fans. Put your earmuffs on.
Carmelo Anthony
Date: January 2014
During a Knicks game against the 76ers at Madison Square Garden—a game that the Knicks eventually lost 110-106—a Sixers fan yelled, "Nice defense, Melo," to Anthony. The Knicks star didn't like what the fan had to say and reportedly yelled back, "Go fuck yourself."
Jimmy Rollins
Date: April 2014
After hitting a walk-off home run against the Marlins earlier this year, Rollins turned around and addressed a fan who had said "something pretty ignorant" to him prior to his at-bat. The Phillies shortstop later said that he "very politely" asked the fan to "shut the fuck up" before trotting around the bases.
Rex Ryan
Date: November 2011
When the Jets head coach was walking off the field at halftime of a home game against the Patriots a few years ago, he heard a heckler yell, "Hey, Rex, [Bill] Belichick is better than you!" He responded by looking up at the fan and yelling, "Shut the fuck up!" Someone took a cell phone video of the moment and Ryan was later fined $75,000 by the NFL.
Steve Blake
Date: November 2012
Towards the end of a Lakers loss to the Clippers, a fan yelled, "You need to knock down those open shots," in Blake's direction. Blake didn't like it—at all—and yelled back at the fan. And when he fouled out a short time later, he made it a point to stop by and curse at the fan before taking a seat on the bench. He was fined $25,000 by the NBA for doing it.
Tom Brady
Date: September 2012
For some reason, the Patriots quarterback was miffed after driving New England down the field and scoring a touchdown during a game against the Bills. So after the TD was confirmed by instant replay, he turned to the crowd and appeared to say, "Fuck you, bitches," while a TV camera was focused in on his face.
Chris Perez
Date: August 2012
After an Athletics fan heckled the then-Indians reliever while he was seated in the bullpen, Perez exploded on the fan and used several curse words in his response to him. "You piece of shit," he yelled. "Get your dick out of your mouth."
Mike Krzyzewski
Date: February 2013
The legendary Duke coach didn't appreciate a bunch of Virginia fans storming the court after the Cavaliers knocked off the Blue Devils in a regular season game. So he exchanged a series of F-bombs with a Virginia fan before security stepped in and escorted him out of the gym.
Jordan Hamilton
Date: December 2012
A fan said something to the then-Nuggets forward towards the end of a Christmas Day game against the Clippers and drew a response from him. "Shut the fuck up," Hamilton yelled. "Bitch ass nigga." He said it so loud that it aired on TV, too, which earned him a $25,000 fine.
Paul George
Date: May 2014
PG was frustrated during an NBA Playoffs game against the Wizards last season and took his frustrations out on a group of Washington fans who were positioned directly behind the Pacers bench. "I'll beat your ass," he appeared to yell, before repeating himself. "I'll beat your ass."
Jayson Werth
Date: July 2010
After a father and son caught a foul ball that Werth was trying to catch, the then-Phillies outfielder spewed a steady stream of profanity at the fans—even though the son was just a kid. "I was shocked he said that in front of me and my dad," the son said after the game. "I was scared because I thought he was gonna come over and stuff." Werth said he felt bad later…but didn't apologize.
Janko Tipsarevic
Date: June 2013
The tennis pro didn't appreciate fans making noise during one of his matches at the French Open last year. So he asked them a question. "Are you fucking stupid?" he yelled. He later explained that he "Just snapped, because you could really see they didn't really care what the score was or even who was playing. They just wanted to look nice and be at the French Open."
Jim Schwartz
Date: December 2013
The fans gathered at Ford Field booed the then-Lions coach after he decided to take a knee at the end of a game against the Giants to send it to overtime. Schwartz didn't like it and yelled, "What the fuck you booing at?" after turning around to face the crowd.
Nyjer Morgan
Date: August 2010
Just one week after he got suspended for throwing a baseball at a Phillies fan in Philadelphia, the then-Nationals outfielder got into a war of words with a Marlins fan that ended with him yelling several obscenities in the man's direction.
Tiger Woods
Date: July 2014
A handful of fans snapped pictures of Tiger as he prepared to take a shot at the British Open this summer. His response? He yelled "Jesus Christ!" at them at one point and cursed on several other occasions after taking bad shots.
Jay Cutler
Date: October 2012
After he got sacked six times in the first half of a game against the Panthers, Bears fans booed Cutler as he walked off the field and headed towards the locker room. He responded by saying "Fucking fans, I swear to God" (or something to that effect). But he later said that he was more upset with himself than with the fans.
Mike D'Antonio
Date: October 2008
During his very first game with the Knicks, D'Antoni got pissed after a section of fans started chanting "We want Steph!" and asking the coach to insert StephonMarbury into the contest. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," he said. "You've got to be fucking kidding me. What a bunch of assholes."
Brandon Phillips
Date: June 2014
During a road game against the Pirates, the Reds second baseman was subjected to non-stop heckling from a drunk fan. So after the game, he wrote a message on a baseball and gave it to the fan. "Dear Drunk Guy, Thank You 4 All The Love & Support!" he wrote. "Now Take This Ball And Shut The Phuck Up!"
Jonathan Papelbon
Date: September 2014
The Phillies reliever wasn't happy with the way that Philadelphia fans booed him during a game against the Marlins. So he responded to their boos by ignoring them grabbing his crotch. He didn't respond as blatantly as some of the other guys on this list—and he later tried to say that he wasn't actually responding to the fans—but it sure looked like he was trying to get back at the fans for booing him.