Jets players thrilled to see Kris Boyd at team facility in first appearance since being shot
The Jets' Kris Boyd talks to the media during training camp on July 28 in Florham Park, New Jersey Credit: Getty Images/TNS/Ishika Samant
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Jets players gathered for their usual special teams meeting on Wednesday when something unexpected happened. A familiar face that had been absent lately walked through the door just before the meeting started, stunning the players in the room.
“Everyone was like, ‘Whoa,’ ’’ safety Isaiah Oliver said.
It was Kris Boyd.
The cornerback, who was shot in the abdomen less than three weeks ago outside a Manhattan restaurant, surprised his teammates by making an appearance at their practice facility. Oliver said everyone stood up, clapped and cheered for Boyd. He then sat in on the special teams meeting and broke it down when it ended.
“It was just cool for everyone to be able to see him and just know that he’s doing all right,” Oliver told Newsday on Thursday. “He’s always been in our prayers and everything. We always talk about him every day. But I don’t think anyone really expected to be able to see him or know when we would see him.
“So it was just nice really just to see him and just know that he’s doing well.”
Multiple Jets players said Boyd was smiling and in good spirits. They talked to him after the meeting and he let them know he’s feeling better and doing well. His presence also lifted the spirits of the Jets (3-9) as they prepare to play Miami on Sunday.
“It was great, man,” Quincy Williams said. “Gave him a hug. He was walking around, actually got a chance to sit in meetings and stuff. So we all were happy about that. He even got a chance to break it down and stuff. So just him being a part of the team, we missed him . . . Coming back in with smiles and everything, after everything he went through, it was great.”
Boyd, 29, was shot at 2 a.m. on Nov. 16 during a verbal altercation. He was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and eventually released. Boyd returned to the hospital because of “health issues,” according to a post on his personal Instagram page. A week after that post, he was back in the Jets’ facility.
“That was very emotional to be able to see him,” defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said. “It was a private moment between all of us and I’ll leave it at that, but it was great to see him in the building.”
Boyd, known for being a special teams ace, signed with the Jets in the offseason but never played a game for them after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in August. But he had been around the team and in special teams meetings before the incident.
Special teams coordinator Chris Banjo said it was “a good personal moment” for Boyd to attend Wednesday’s meeting.
“It was really cool,” Banjo said. “Very, very thankful that he’s alive. Good to see his face. Good to see him smiling.”
Kicker Nick Folk wasn’t in the special teams meeting when it started. He was in a field goal meeting, so he missed when Boyd walked in and surprised everyone. When Folk did notice that Boyd was in the room, he was taken aback.
“I didn’t know until the very end,” Folk told Newsday. “I was kind of like, ‘Wait, what are you doing here?’
“Yeah, I was surprised as anyone, but I didn’t see it until the very end. It was great to have him back in the building . . . It’s just a blessing he’s back. Hopefully he can recover quick and get back on the field as quick as possible for himself more than anything. It was good to have him back.”
Waiting on Wilson
Garrett Wilson (knee) is eligible to come off injured reserve next week. It’s unclear if he will, but offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand can’t wait to pair Wilson with newly acquired receiver Adonai Mitchell, who caught eight passes for 102 yards and a touchdown last week against the Falcons.
“It’s hard not to think about that,” Engstrand said. “We wait for the day that that happens. Fingers crossed, it’s sooner than later.”
Jets honored
Rookie punter Austin McNamara was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month after averaging 43.5 yards on 20 punts, 11 of which landed inside the 20 . . . Quincy Williams is the Jets’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
Injury news
Backup quarterback Justin Fields popped up on the injury report with a knee issue. Jermaine Johnson (ankle) was upgraded to limited participant after not practicing on Wednesday.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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