Xavier McKinney did the one thing on his bye week that nobody wants to do. He injured himself.
The New York Giants’ star safety and captain is out multiple weeks after injuring his hand in an ATV accident in Cabo during a guided sightseeing tour. Regardless of if it was the product of McKinney being irresponsible or merely a freak thing, it’s a brutal blow for a Giants team that sits at 6-2 and is gearing up for a playoff push.
But asked about the situation in his weekly appearance on “Tiki & Tierney,” Giants safety Julian Love didn’t sound like someone harboring resentment.
“They hammer us with the be smart, look after each other type of thing. It’s tough because you’re doing stuff and a freak thing can happen like that,” Love said. “That’s, like you said, the human side of it. So it’s tough, he wasn’t intentionally doing anything dumb I didn’t think. We were talking, we talk pretty much every day, it was crazy how quickly it transpired. Yeah, it’s tough, but I don’t think anybody has looked at him in (a negative) light."
What appears to be the biggest thing the Giants are looking for now is how McKinney responds to the situation as he works his way back.
“I think it’s a matter of him now still staying around and helping us out, because he’s a vocal leader of this team," Love said. "Sterling Shepard has been that, even when he was out, he kind of brings that juice and that energy for the offense, and there’s a difference when he’s there. He’s in all the meetings with us knowing that he has to be our leader.”
The Giants’ first game this season without McKinney will be Sunday, when they host the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium.
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