Markus Paul, Former Giants Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, Passes Away

Once a Giant, always a Giant.

Markus Paul, a member of Tom Coughlin's coaching staff from 2007-18, passed away Wednesday evening surrounded by his loved ones. He was 54 years old.

Paul, a member of the Dallas Cowboys' coaching staff, suffered a medical emergency on Tuesday morning as the team was getting ready to start its day of preparation before their Thanksgiving game against the Washington Football Team.

RIP Markus Paul. A terrific coach and a wonderful man beloved by many of his current and former players. From the #Cowboys: pic.twitter.com/Tt0i1XKIlf
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 25, 2020

According to local reports from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, an ambulance and EMTs were called to the Cowboys team headquarters in Frisco, Texas, where Paul was attended to before being transported to a nearby hospital.

The Cowboys canceled their Tuesday practice and all media availability out of respect for the situation's gravity. Paul underwent a series of medical tests following his admission to the hospital but sadly passed away Wednesday. He was 54.

Paul is a former NFL safety who was a fourth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in the 1989 draft. He played with the Bears from 1989 to part of the 1993 season before finishing up that last year with the Bucs.

Five years later, Paul went into coaching, servings as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Saints until 1999 before joining Bill Belichick in New England during the 2000-04 seasons.

All of us with the Giants, the Mara and Tisch families and the entire organization, extend our deepest condolences on the passing of Markus Paul. Markus was a beloved member of our organization for several years.
— New York Giants (@Giants) November 26, 2020

Our prayers of comfort and peace are with his family, the Dallas Cowboys and his many friends across the NFL and beyond. He will be greatly missed.
— New York Giants (@Giants) November 26, 2020

Paul made a stop with the Jet as their assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2005 before changing roles to the team's Director of Physical Development in 2006.

He joined Coughlin's Giants staff in 2007, spending the bulk of his NFL coaching career with the Giants, with whom he won two of his five Super Bowl championships (XLII and XLVI). Ben McAdoo, Coughlin's successor, retained Paul, but in 2018, he was hired as the team's head strength and conditioning coach by then-head coach (and current Giants offensive coordinator) Jason Garrett.

Paul was retained by the Cowboys' new head coach, Mike McCarthy, on his staff. According to Cowboys Maven Mike Fisher, Dallas plans to honor Paul before kickoff against the Washington Football Team.

We at Giants Country send our deepest condolences to the Paul family on their loss of a gentle soul who, when he was spotted in the hallways of the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, always had a smile on his face and a kind word for everyone.