Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports Signs First NFL Player Geno Smith

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By Maurice Bobb

Jay-Z’s becoming quite the collector of sports acronyms. First, his Roc Nation Sports signed Robinson Cano of the MLB, then it was Skylar Diggins of the WNBA and now, in his latest chess move, Hov has signed Geno Smith of the NFL.

"When you talk about being in New York from a standpoint of what they can do in the city, the connections that they have, I think it's a good move," Smith told ESPN, hinting that Jay wasn’t the biggest reason he signed with the Roc.

The rookie Jets quarterback announced Wednesday (May 22) that he’d signed with RNS after weeks of speculation and foreboding, which included a picture of Jay and Geno posted on the West Virginia standout’s Instagram account.

Smith, who is battling for the starting QB job with incumbent Mark Sanchez, was headline fodder after he fired his original agents when he fell out of the first round of the last month’s NFL Draft. The whole debacle sparked debate as to whether "Madison Avenue Geno" was more concerned about his image than throwing a tight spiral, but his new coach Rex Ryan isn’t worried about his rook throwing up the diamond.

"I'm sure he's done a lot of work and preparation on who he thinks is the best person to represent him," Ryan said. "I don't think there will be a loss of focus or anything else. I can tell you this right now, he knows he has to focus on the job at hand. I'm confident that will happen. I don't even think about who represents him."

"I know this isn't because of an image thing or trying to market myself," Smith added. "It's just about being comfortable with the guys who are going to represent me. Ultimately, that's why I made the decision."

[url=http://rapfix.mtv.com/2013/05/23/jay-zs-roc-nation-sports-signs-first-nfl-player-geno-smith/]View the full article[/url]