Giants Country

Xavier McKinney Takes Full Responsibility for Hand Injury

Giants safety Xavier McKinney is disappointed that he won't be there for his teammates for a while thanks to his hand injury.

Patricia Traina

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New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney, a team co-captain, said he takes full responsibility for his bye-week actions that led to him suffering a couple of broken fingers in his left hand that required surgery and landed him on the Reserve/Nonfootball Injury List.

McKinney, speaking to reporters in front of his locker, his left arm in a sling and a hard cast over his hand, tweeted on Monday that he had been involved in an ATV accident while on vacation in Cabo during the team's Week 9 bye. 

“We were on a sightseeing tour. That’s what I can tell you,” McKinney said. “It was nothing that was reckless. This was just simply being able to be out in the country, seeing what it looked like. It was an unfortunate event that happened.”

McKinney said the off-road vehicle in which he was using for his tour "tilted over" and he fell on his hand. 

"That’s basically what happened,” he said.

Head coach Brian Daboll refused to publically chastise McKinney or disclose if the third-year safety had been disciplined by the club for any perceived violations of Section 3 of the standard NFL player contract, which states:

 3. OTHER ACTIVITIES. Without prior written consent of the Club, Player will not play football or engage in activities related to football otherwise than for Club or engage in any activity other than football which may involve a significant risk of personal injury. Player represents that he has special, exceptional and unique knowledge, skill, ability, and experience as a football player, the loss of which cannot be estimated with any certainty and cannot be fairly or adequately compensated by damages. Player therefore agrees that Club will have the right, in addition to any other right which Club may possess, to enjoin Player by appropriate proceedings from playing football or engaging in football-related activities other than for Club or from engaging in any activity other than football which may involve a significant risk of personal injury.

“It’s all a private matter, Daboll said before the team took the field for a rare Tuesday practice. "I feel bad for the kid in particular. I mean, he got injured. And I feel bad for us. We lost a good player for a few weeks.”

McKinney, who must miss a minimum of four games while on the Reserve/NFI list, was uncertain when--or if--he'd be able to return this year.

"No timeline on it," he said. "I’m just trying to take it day by day, do what everybody is asking me to do." 

The good news is that he expects to have full use of his hand once everything heals.

"Yeah, my hand will be fine. That’s the good thing," McKinney said.

Daboll, meanwhile, wouldn't say if the team docked McKinney any money from his contract, as Article 4, Section 9a(iii) of the current CBA allows for.

Regular Season. If the player ... commits a Forfeitable Breach for the first time that League Year during the regular season, the player may be required to forfeit up to twenty-five percent (25%) of his Forfeitable 13 Salary Allocations upon missing his first regular season game. If player’s Forfeitable Breach continues beyond four (4) consecutive weeks, then the player may be required to forfeit up to his remaining Forfeitable Salary Allocations on a proportionate weekly basis (i.e., one-seventeenth for each missed regular season week after the fourth week).

McKinney, who said the accident happened on November 2, said he addressed the matter with his teammates.

"Yeah, I’ve already addressed it with them. They kind of already knew when it happened. They were the first people to really know about it," he said.

He also said he'd accept any decision by the Giants if they decided to recoup some of his foreitable salary allications.

"Like I said, I take full responsibility in what was going on. I’m an accountable person, so for me I was just more upset about knowing that I wasn’t going to be able to be here for my team," McKinney said. 

"As far as that goes, I’m still going to be able to help as much as I can. Like I said, I’m going to be in meetings, I’m going to be out there in practice, and helping as much as I can so we can keep this thing rolling."

Julian Love, the Giants' other starting safety, will now get the radio in his helmet, which McKinney previously had. 

"Yeah, so I have the mic in practice. I’ve had it since OTAs. I feel comfortable relaying the plays and communicating," Love said. "We had a good system, me and Xavier. He’s communicating the plays, and I’m communicating everything else for the defense. 

"Now it’s on other guys to raise their level of communication and get that line flowing because it’s smooth with me and Xavier; we’re on a very personal level with the way we can communicate openly. It’s going to take some other guys to step up, but I feel comfortable in my role." 

Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton will likely get increased opportunities with McKinney sidelined.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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