Has Ben McAdoo lost the Giants in wake of Jenkins suspension?
New York Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas stood in front of his locker Wednesday, fielding questions from the media. The defensive captain didn’t answer questions about his availability after missing the past two games with a stinger or the team’s horrible 1-6 start.
Instead, Casillas took questions about the suspension of cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins was suspended indefinitely by the team Tuesday by not returning to the team’s facility on time after the bye week. Jenkins will not be available when the Giants host his former team, the Los Angeles Rams, on Sunday.
Casillas is not happy that Jackrabbit was suspended, appearing to side with the player but yielded to the authority of head coach Ben McAdoo.
“I don’t like it,” Casillas said. “I want him here. At the end of the day, he did break a team rule. It’s not like he didn’t do anything or he was late. It’s kind of inexcusable…whether I support Ben McAdoo or not, he is the head coach and I think he is doing what he thinks is best for the team.”
McAdoo originally said Monday that Jenkins was excused from the first post-bye week practice for personal reasons. On Tuesday, McAdoo said he hadn’t spoken with Jenkins until Tuesday morning. Naturally, McAdoo was asked why he told a bold-faced lie to the media.
“Until I had all the information, I was going to err on the high side of trusting the player, protecting the player,” McAdoo said.
McAdoo wouldn’t elaborate on the discussion he had with Jenkins or what Jenkins said to him about missing Monday’s practice.
“It’s my responsibility to take action and when you have discipline that needs to be taken care of, you have to handle it,” McAdoo said.
Jenkins’ suspension comes three weeks after the suspension of cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Rodgers-Cromartie and McAdoo had an exchange during the Week 5 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He then walked out of a team meeting before practice a few days later.
Quarterback Eli Manning echoed McAdoo’s sentiments.
“I think it’s just been a couple of cases of stuff gone wrong and you’re put in a position that you have to discipline them,” Manning said.
The 1-6 record and the suspension of two of the Giants’ best defensive players begs the question: has McAdoo lost the team? Safety Landon Collins says no.
“We continue growing with him and trying to be a great team and stay together because our back is against the wall right now,” Collins said. “We can’t fight each other. If we fight against each other, things are definitely going to go bad.”
– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for cover32 and covers the NFL and New York Giants. Please like and follow on Facebook and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.
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