The Giants are crumbling off the field, too.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a valuable cornerback and elder statesman respected in the locker room, has been suspended by the team, head coach Ben McAdoo said Wednesday after practice.
McAdoo said Rodgers-Cromartie was at the team facility Tuesday and “We had a conversation that was personal upstairs and he came in today. Decided to leave. We will suspend him.”
McAdoo did not divulge any specifics, but it is clear the problem started late in the second quarter of Sunday’s 27-22 loss to the Chargers. Rodgers-Cromartie, according to sources, was upset about his playing time and got into an argument on the sideline. He played in the second half, moved inside to the slot, with Eli Apple playing on the outside, before getting stepped on and leaving with an apparent Achilles issue.
“Just some difficulties between him and McAdoo,’’ safety Landon Collins said. “We don’t know what’s really going on. I wouldn’t say he left the team. It’s a situation between them two. I wouldn’t say he left the team, he just felt differently about the altercation that happened.’’
An ESPN report stated Rodgers-Cromartie admitted he and McAdoo had an argument on the sideline and that DRC said he handled it the wrong way.
“To sit me in a game had me so hot, so I left,’’ Rodgers-Cromartie told ESPN. “I was suspended way before I left. I left because I felt what [McAdoo] said was BS.’’
Rodgers-Cromartie added he planned to return to the team Thursday.
With the Giants losing (0-5) and battered with season-ending injuries to Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall, this is another issue that reflects poorly on the head coach. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins left the field in the closing seconds of the loss to the Chargers, and McAdoo said he will handle that breach of team rules in-house. McAdoo stated Wednesday that Jenkins remains a starter.
Now this with Rodgers-Cromartie, leading to a widespread perception that McAdoo has lost the team.
“Not concerned about perception,’’ McAdoo said. “Concerned about reality.’’
Collins said he had no inkling of this when he arrived to work Wednesday.
“He came in with a smile on his face,’’ Collins said of Rodgers-Cromartie. “He had his gospel music playing, being the same DRC that he was when he came in. It surprised all of us when we heard what happened.
“Am I upset with McAdoo for suspending him? We’re upset that he’s suspended. He’s a major part of our defense and we need him on the D. That’s the coaches’ decision, not going to go against it. If he felt strongly about suspending him, then he felt strongly about suspending him.’’
Rodgers-Cromartie spent time in the hot tub, as per usual, attended the morning meetings before speaking with McAdoo and exiting the building.
“He didn’t say anything,’’ Collins said. “Just gone. We just found out when we got back to meetings and it was, Where DRC at? Went to walk-throughs and he was not out there either, so we knew something was up.’’
Asked if this is a sign that the Giants have fractured, Collins said: “No, not because one person left the team or one person made a decision with that they felt between him and the coach is between those two, not because of a breakdown with the team and what’s going on within us and the 0-5 start we have. It’s nothing to do with that. It’s between him and Coach McAdoo.
“We’re gonna address the issue, that’s a big issue in the room and we need to address it because we don’t need nobody else separating from the team.’’
Asked if he believes Rogers-Cromartie will be back, Collins said, “Of course.’’