Mar 022016
 
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants (December 28, 2014)

Tom Coughlin – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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JOHN JOHNSON PASSES AWAY…
John Johnson, who served as an athletic trainer with the New York Giants for 60 years, passed away on Sunday at the age of 98. Johnson retired after the 2007 season and was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor just last year.

“Johnny Johnson was one of the finest men I have ever known,” said team President and CEO John Mara. “He spent 60 years with our team caring for players from Charlie Conerly and Frank Gifford, right on up to Eli Manning. Nobody was more loved and respected than Mr. J. We were so pleased to be able to include him in our Ring of Honor this past season. He was part of the family and we will miss him terribly.”

“We have lost a great Giant,” said team Senior Vice President of Medical Services Ronnie Barnes. “Johnny looked after our players for over a half century. He was compassionate and caring and a true professional. His dedication to his profession and his poise and class were recognized by all.

“John had a stellar career with the Giants. He traveled with the team and was an indispensable member of the medical staff. He had so many stories about the early NFL and medicine before the arthroscope and advanced diagnostic technology.

“Leaving a legacy is something that we all strive to do, and John Johnson achieved that and more. He was a licensed massage therapist and physical therapist with tremendous hands. Michael Strahan sought him out and made John his personal athletic trainer. He cared for him with the same compassion that he had for Y.A. Tittle, Frank Gifford, and Charlie Conerly.”

For more on Johnson, see Remembering Giants Trainer John Johnson (1917-2016) by Michael Eisen of Giants.com.

TOM COUGHLIN CONFIRMS HE WAS FORCED OUT…
During a Tuesday FOXSports radio show, Tom Coughlin confirmed that he did not really resign as head coach from the New York Giants in early January. “Hey, do I agree with the move? Of course not,” said Coughlin. “I don’t, it hurts, it hurts. ‘Former’ is not a good word. I don’t like the word. But, nevertheless, that’s the way it is.”

“Don’t think that there aren’t some hard feelings there. There are,” Coughlin said during another interview on ESPN Radio. “That’s just natural. I just try to control them when the moment is right.”

The audio to the ESPN Radio interview is available at ESPN.com.

GIANTS DO NOT USE FRANCHISE OR TRANSITION TAGS…
The deadline for NFL team’s to designate an unrestricted free agent a “franchise” or “transition” passed on Tuesday. The New York Giants chose not to protect any of their 19 remaining unrestricted free agents. For a complete list of the 19 players, see the 2016 Free Agency Scorecard section of the website. Since the current system of free agency was inaugurated in 1993, the Giants have protected the following players:

  • OT Jumbo Elliott (franchise) in 1993
  • LB Carl Banks (transition) in 1993
  • TE Howard Cross (transition) in 1994
  • RB Rodney Hampton (transition) in 1996
  • RB Brandon Jacobs (franchise) in 2009
  • P Steve Weatherford (franchise) in 2012
  • DE Jason Pierre-Paul (franchise) in 2015

BOB PAPA INTERVIEW WITH QB ELI MANNING…
The audio of a Bob Papa podcast interview with quarterback Eli Manning is available at at PodBean.com.

ARTICLES…

Oct 062015
 
Chris Snee, New York Giants (February 5, 2012)

Chris Snee – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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FOUR NEW MEMBERS FOR NEW YORK GIANTS RING OF HONOR…
The New York Giants have announced four new members for the team’s “Ring of Honor,” which was established in 2010 and will now contain 39 team officials and players. The newest members, who will be formally added to the “Ring of Honor” at halftime ceremony during Sunday’s game, will be:

  • End Jack Lummus (1941), who was killed on Iwo Jima in 1945 and awarded the Medal of Honor.
  • Trainer John Johnson (1948-2007), who was with the team for 60 years.
  • Defensive End Osi Umenyiora (2003-2012)
  • Offensive Guard Chris Snee (2004-2013)

“They were the greatest,” the 98-year old Johnson said of the officials and player he is joining in the “Ring of Honor.” “I don’t know what I’m doing up there. Here we were, with a great Hall of Fame all around me. Good coaches, great players. You go back 60 years, that’s a long time.”

“Honestly, it caught me a little off guard,” Snee said. “I know Mr. (John) Mara said that when I retired I would be going in, in the near future, but it still was something that kind of overwhelmed me when he told me. I think in large part because I feel somedays I wake up and I should be going to practice. I’m not that far removed from the game. But to be going up there with the names that are up there, it’s overwhelming. I’ve been a little restless at night, because honestly I’m excited and kind of shocked that it’s all happening.”

“It is special, because I think it was a great era,” Snee said of the time period when the Giants won two Super Bowls in 2007 and 2011. “The more I get to be around Giants fans and the appreciation for that decade when we were around, the success we had, it was really an exciting time to be a Giant fan. They’ll be many more. Obviously, we played with a lot of great players. Eli (Manning) and (Justin) Tuck are still playing, and there will be others I’m sure that will get up there. To be the first two from quite an accomplished decade is special.”

The full list of current “Ring of Honor” members. Full biographies of all four new members are available at Giants.com.

ARTICLES…