Golden Tate has emerged from Joe Judge’s doghouse and he’s ready to make amends. “I just got caught up in the moment. I was wrong to draw attention to myself. I take full responsibility,” said Tate, apologizing for behavior that got him benched the week prior. “I handled it the wrong way and, again, brought negative attention to our organization. It was something that won't happen again."
Tate’sfrustration boiled to the surface when the disgruntled wideout shouted, “Throw me the ball!” directly into an ESPN camera during a Monday night loss to Tampa Bay. Tate, who was rumored to be on the block ahead of the November 3rd trade deadline, was also caught liking a tweet asking the Giants to cut him. It probably didn’t help that Tate’s wife Elise posted an Instagram story criticizing the Giants for her husband’s meager workload (three targets) against the Bucs. Neither did his on-field brawl with Jalen Ramsey (father to Tate’s two nieces) earlier this season.
In response to Tate’s increasingly erratic behavior, coach Joe Judge banned the 11th-year receiver from practice last Wednesday. Tate returned the following day, but was demoted to the scout team and didn’t make the trip to D.C. for New York’s Sunday showdown with NFC East rival Washington.
Tate and Judge appear to have hashed out their differences with the 32-year-old, health permitting (he’s nursing a minor knee injury), tentatively on track to suit up Sunday when the Giants host the division-leading Eagles at MetLife Stadium. “I was definitely disappointed, but there are consequences for your actions," Tate said of his benching against Washington in Week 9. “My actions were unacceptable, and I apologized to the team, GM, the coaches, the offense and I'm excited to move forward.”
While Tate admitted he enjoyed his stint on the scout team, he’s ready to resume his rightful place in the Giants’ starting lineup. “I want to be here,” said Tate, who plans to honor what remains of his four-year, $37-million contract, which runs through 2022. “I love this organization, what it represents and the direction we're headed in and hopefully I'm a part of it."
Tate also addressed the incident involving his wife, calling her outburst on social media “unfortunate.” “She is, and will always be, my biggest fan,” said Tate in quotes transcribed by ESPN Giants reporter Jordan Raanan. “I disagree with her taking it public, but that is one thing: I'll always have her back.”
After leading the team in targets a year ago, Tate has taken on a significantly reduced role in 2020, a frustrating development that has clearly weighed on the veteran. “I felt the need to apologize to this entire organization for drawing that negative attention, for one, and also my body language on the field. From here on, we don't ever have to worry about that ever again."
Tate has struggled to fill the mountain-sized void left by star receiver Odell Beckham (now of the Cleveland Browns), registering just 22 catches for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns this season. The Notre Dame alum was limited to a single reception, a 39-yard touchdown, when he faced the Eagles in Philadelphia earlier this year.
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