McADOO SENDS DRC HOME — AGAIN
Players say they don’t know specifics of DRC suspension
With so much going wrong off the field, it is almost tempting to forget how poor the Giants have been on it. Five games into an already lost season, the Giants are 0-5, their best player (Odell Beckham Jr.) is not returning following ankle surgery and one of their more popular veterans (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie) is suspended. Unrest 1, Giants 0. “We always have order on the team,’’ defensive end Olivier Vernon said. “[Coach Ben McAdoo] does a great job setting what we have to do. I don’t know what happened, I don’t know the details, we just move on forward.’’
Vernon said no one has explained to him what went down between McAdoo and Rodgers- Cromartie that caused the 31-year old cornerback to suddenly go from important player to player non grata. McAdoo has not addressed his players about what happened, creating an air of mystery around a sagging team.
A face-to-face meeting did not solve the festering problems.
Rodgers-Cromartie arrived at the Giants’ practice facility Thursday morning and met with McAdoo, who informed Rodgers-Cromartie he is suspended indefinitely. Rodgers-Cromartie did not meet with general manager Jerry Reese or coowner John Mara. Only McAdoo.
Where this goes from here is anybody’s guess.
Rodgers-Cromartie was placed on the reserve/suspended list, and the Giants, for now, have moved on, signing cornerback Donte Deayon off their practice squad. The 5-foot-9, 163-pound Deayon has never appeared in an NFL regular-season game.
In accordance with the collective bargaining agreement, a team can suspend a player for a maximum of four games. Based on Rodgers-Cromartie’s 2017 salary of $6.98 million, he stands to lose $410,588 for every game he is suspended. Rodgers-Cromartie is in the fourth year of a five-year, $35 million contract he signed in 2014, and it is possible he has played his last game for the Giants.
Suspended players must stay away from the team facility for the duration of the suspension.
McAdoo announced the suspension Wednesday, upset with how Rodgers-Cromartie acted and reacted in the second half of Sunday’s 27-22 loss to the Chargers. Rodgers-Cromartie was already on thin ice for leaving Friday’s recovery session early and unexcused. McAdoo met with DRC on Tuesday and told him, based on the Friday infraction and leaving the field Sunday, he was going to be benched for Sunday’s game against in Denver. That meant DRC would be one of the seven inactive players but would be paid, as he would be on the active roster.
Rodgers-Cromartie reported for work Wednesday, attended a morning meeting then left the building. It was after that departure that McAdoo decided the benching would grow into a suspension.
Rodgers- Cromartie l eft the sideline and went into the locker room during the second half of the loss to the Chargers, according to someone with knowledge of what transpired. He returned and did play into the fourth quarter before apparently injuring his Achilles tendon. McAdoo said the suspension was based on a “violation of team rules.’’
What, exactly did Rodgers-Cromartie do to deserve this punishment?
“When we can, we handle team discipline internally,’’ said McAdoo, who also denied he had any sort of altercation with DRC during the game.
As for his meeting with Rodgers-Cromartie on Thursday morning, McAdoo said, “It was a private conversation that will remain private.’’
Though the exact reason why Rodgers-Cromartie was so angered is unclear, it seems rooted in his role within the defense. He started against the Chargers at an outside cornerback spot because Eli Apple, who has struggled, was benched for the first series. When Apple was released from the sideline and got onto the field, Rodgers-Cromartie moved into the slot corner role he played all of 2016 and thus far this season.
Asked if DRC has expressed any dissatisfaction with his role, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said, “No, he’s been great.’’
As for what appears to be turmoil in the defensive backfield, Spagnuolo said, “The turmoil is we got guys injured, haven’t really found a groove.’’
Janoris Jenkins, the other starting cornerback, called Rodgers-Cromartie “a great player, great leader.’’ Jenkins responded to repeated questions about t he s uspension with “No comment.’’
Damon “Snacks’’ Harrison said “I don’t have a reaction’’ when asked about his reaction to the DRC ban.
“Nobody is straying away, feeling down or anything,’’ Harrison said.