Jerry Reese thanks Giants for opportunity a day after being fired
Giants general manager Jerry Reese speaks to the media during training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on July 27, 2017. Credit: Brad Penner
Jerry Reese was first hired by the Giants on Dec. 15, 1994. On Tuesday, his first full day in almost 23 full years that he was not employed by the team, he issued a gracious statement of appreciation for his time with the organization.
“I would like to thank the New York Football Giants for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing franchise for the past twenty-three years,” he said. “My time here has been filled with many great memories. Thank you John and the Mara family, Steve and the Tisch family for your confidence in me for so many seasons. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Tom Coughlin and Ben McAdoo for their commitment to the NYG and my time working with them. I’m thankful to the late George Young, who hired me, and to Ernie Accorsi for grooming me.”
Reese was fired by the Giants on Monday. He was the general manager for two Super Bowl wins but the Giants have had losing records in four of the last five years, including this year’s 2-10 mark.
The one person Reese did not thank by name and probably should have was the quarterback for all but the last of the games in which he served at general manager for 11 years: Eli Manning. He did, instead, show appreciation for all of the players with whom he has dealt.
“Many thanks to the front office, personnel staff, support staff, scouts, coaches, and current and former players for your dedication to a first class organization. My family, friends and many fans that have supported me, I sincerely appreciate all of you. I am truly grateful and blessed for my time with the NYG. All the best to you. Go Giants.”
Cruz: Mac move ‘overdue’’
Victor Cruz essentially was fired by Ben McAdoo this offseason when the Giants released him. On Tuesday, the wide receiver had a chance to break down McAdoo’s termination and called it “long overdue.”
“I think it was a couple of weeks already too late,” Cruz said on “Good Morning Football” on NFL Network. “Once you see guys in that locker room start to give these anonymous reports about how he’s handling them and practice on [Saturday], that’s how you know he’s completely lost the locker room and completely lost the players.”
Giant steps
The Giants will have a new practice program to go with their new coach. Interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo will have the team practice on Friday this week, a departure from the way Ben McAdoo (and Tom Coughlin at the end of his tenure) structured the team’s schedule. The Giants typically had used Fridays as a “recovery day” and then practiced at 80 percent speed on Saturdays for the past three seasons . . . Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, considered by many a leading candidate for the Giants’ head coach vacancy, was asked on a conference call on Tuesday if he’d be interested in the job. “I’m just interested in the Dolphins right now,” he said of New England’s upcoming opponent. “That’s where my focus is at and that’s where it’s going to stay.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
