New York Giants third-year safety Xavier McKinney broke an unwritten NFL rule when he injured himself in an off-field incident during the team’s Week 9 bye week.
McKinney broke several fingers and bones in his hand during an ATV accident in Mexico that required surgery, which entailed multiple pins and screws to repair.
As a result, McKinney missed seven games down the stretch and the Giants went 2-4-1 without him.
The Giants chose not to discipline McKinney, who later claimed he nearly lost three fingers, after the incident. Head coach Brian Daboll told the media at the time that it was a ‘private matter’ and left it at that.
On Monday, general manager Joe Schoen was asked about McKinney’s injury and if the Giants felt differently about him being a “building block” after the accident.
“He’s a young man that made a mistake,” Schoen told reporters. “To me, really initially, it wasn’t about football. It was more about his well-being as a young man. And we’ve got younger kids. Dabs has some older than mine. But we all make mistakes. And we’ve got to learn from it.
“For us, it was just about supporting Xavier through that. He fought to get back. Football was secondary when we got the call. I’m just glad that he was able to play again. He’s a great kid that we look forward to working with.”
On Sunday, as the Giants were cleaning out their lockers, McKinney was thinking about his career and his future with the Giants.
Xavier McKinney on what’s next with hand: “Rehab. I’ll be working my ass off. I’m laser focused on what I need to do so we can have a great season next year”
— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) January 22, 2023
McKinney, a second-round draft pick in 2020 out of Alabama, will be entering the final year of his rookie contract this coming season. His maturity and perfjoamcne will be under scrutiny if he intends on getting a second contract from the Giants.
