Joe Judge Addresses Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley Video
The video of Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, who were among a group of Giants players that went out for a team bonding dinner Friday night in New York City, certainly didn't look smart based on the several seconds of clips showing the players without face coverings and not practicing social distancing during the on-going global pandemic.
But the Giants and head coach Joe Judge weren't about to rush to judgment regarding the video compilation that included a few still shots initially posted by someone that goes by the name DJ Lugghead.
Judge said he addressed the matter with the players in question about the video's contents and what the video didn't show.
"Yeah, I've spoken to all the individuals involved as well as the entire team on what happened this past weekend. We're going to deal with things internally," Judge said Tuesday.
"The only thing I'm going to say on that is, this group of guys has been very responsible from the very beginning. They've tried to do the right thing the entire time based on the conversation, the information I've gathered from our players.
"I believe they're trying to do the right thing as teammates with going out and having dinner together the other night. We have to make sure that we're just conscious as an organization and everything we do. But anytime, anything else on top of that, we're gonna deal with internally."
Per multiple reports, the Giants players had dinner Friday evening in a private room with some friends, and they were invited afterward to have drinks at a bar that was closed to the public.
The video clips showed the Giants players without face coverings and in one shot showed Jones accepting a drink from an unidentified woman standing right in front of him, neither wearing a mask.
Another shot showed Barkley, who is currently in Los Angeles to have reconstructive surgery on his torn ACL, on a bicycle.
"Actually riding a stationary bike has been part of (Barkley's) rehab prepping for surgery," Judge said.
Any discipline for Jones, Barkley, and any other players involved will likely come from the league and in the form of fines for violating the COVID-19 policy that discourages players from social gatherings at bars and restaurants unless they are picking up to-go orders.
The initial optics of the players' actions created an unfavorable and, to a degree, irresponsible picture for a Giants franchise given those involved.
"I'm not going to go into all the different things of the optics and all," Judge said. "I'm just going to say we gotta make the right decisions."
As for any concerns Judge might have given the unfavorable light the video might have cast the franchise in considering the players involved, Judge said, "I've had a lot of in-depth conversations with all the guys involved, as well as the rest of the team.
"They understand the consequences of anything you do right now in this COVID environment as well in the public eye of how they're looked at and how we have to be careful. And we have to make sure to make the right decisions."
