Giants Head Coach Joe Judge Defends Kadarius Toney’s Character

Giants head coach Joe Judge said that Kadarius Toney's heart was in the right place when he weighed in on matters surrounding former Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III.

Giants head coach Joe Judge said he was aware of a tweet by receiver Kadarius Toney in which the youngster appeared to weigh in on the tragic situation involving now-former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III.

Ruggs, according to Las Vegas prosecutors, was allegedly driving 156 mph with a blood alcohol content twice Nevada's legal limit before colliding with another vehicle, the impact resulting in the tragic death of a 23-year-old woman. 

Toney's message, which never mentioned Ruggs by name, wasn't universally well-received by those on social media who saw it. 

“What he tweeted out, I know where his heart was with that," Judge said Thursday, adding that the entire situation wasa terrible thing. “I think sometimes it comes across that, obviously you read it, and you say, ‘OK this doesn’t really sound the right way.’ 

“Sometimes guys are going to make a mistake in terms of how they articulate or verbalize something. When you understand the core of what someone’s trying to say and you talk to a guy and you understand the relationship and maybe he didn’t get the point across exactly. You understand it’s coming from the right place right there.”

This isn’t the first time Toney’s social media postings have ruffled some feathers.

Earlier this year, he posted a cryptic Instagram message expressing some disappointment about a situation that some interpreted as a shot at the Giants after he was not targeted in a game (Toney later clarified the tweet was not about the Giants).

The receiver also drew some unwanted attention when he referred to media as clowns, a statement for which he later apologized, clarifying that the comment was not directed at anyone who covers the Giants.

Judge opined that young players are still struggling to grasp how impactful their words can be taken sometimes.

“From a personal standpoint, I’m glad everything I did when I was 21, 22, 23 isn’t fully documented,” Judge said. “That being said, we’ve got a group of guys this generation who are in a position where everything they have is, and they allow it to be documented in a lot of ways because we put it out there ourselves.

“We’ve just got to make sure we keep doing a good job, especially when it comes to social media, of making sure we articulate our point the right way, that we never have to clarify or defend it. That doesn’t always come across the right way the first time, we’ve gotta keep educating all of our players, we keep working with our players all the time.”

Judge also dismissed any notion of concerns over Toney’s character, a question mark when he was drafted that seems to pop up every time Toney shares his thoughts about certain topics on social media.

“This guy’s a really, really good person. He really is. He’s a good teammate. He’s very coachable,” Judge said. “He’s got great intentions in the building what he’s trying to do to help this team. This guy’s a tough dude--he plays through a lot of stuff. I have no questions about this guy’s character.”

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