Said to be excused for “personal reasons” yesterday, Janoris Jenkins becomes the third Giants cornerback benched for disciplinary reasons.
The New York Giants did make a move at the trade deadline…but it was anything but a trade.
Cornerback Janoris Jenkins has been suspended indefinitely from the team for a violation of team rules. The suspension will take effect immediately, meaning Jenkins will miss a showdown against his former Los Angeles Rams comrades on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium (1:00 p.m. ET, FOX). The suspension was first reported by Kim Jones of NFL Network.
The cornerback, nicknamed “Jackrabbit”, was said to be suspended for returning late from the bye week. He turned 29 on Sunday.
Jenkins was not at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center for the team’s first post-bye week practice on Monday morning, but head coach Ben McAdoo announced afterward that Jenkins, along with fellow cornerback Eli Apple and running back Paul Perkins, had been excused for “personal reasons”.
On Tuesday afternoon, however, McAdoo had a different account.
“At that point [Monday], neither myself nor any of the coaches had heard from [Jenkins],” McAdoo said in a statement released by the team. “I did not speak with him directly until Tuesday morning.”
Jenkins now becomes the third Giants cornerback punished with denied playing time this season. Apple was benched for the first three defensive series of the Giants Week 4 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers, while Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was suspended indefinitely before the Giants’ lone win of the season in Denver. Rodgers-Cromartie’s suspension was later reduced to a week, and he returned to action in the Giants’ previous game against Seattle, albeit in a limited role.
Though Rodgers-Cromartie’s suspension has been reported as indefinite, the current collective bargaining agreement allows only a maximum four-game suspension for team rule violations.
“As a member of this team, there are standards and we have responsibilities and obligations,” said McAdoo in his statement. “When we don’t fulfill those obligations, there are consequences. As I have said before, we do not like to handle our team discipline publicly. There are times when it is unavoidable, and this is one of those times.”
Jenkins is in his sixth NFL season, and second with the Giants. After spending his first four seasons with the Rams, then based in St. Louis, Jenkins earned a five-year, $62.5 million contract from New York. He was part of the Giants’ defensive resurgence last season, picking up 44 tackles and three interceptions. His efforts earned him his first Pro Bowl bid. Through six games this season, Jenkins has 20 tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown.
The team has not yet commented on if Apple and Perkins “personal reasons” are related to Jenkins’s departure.
The Giants will practice tomorrow at noon. McAdoo is expected to speak afterward at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffMags5490