On Saturday, Giants punter Steve Weatherford posted on the Internet a video of Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul carrying Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara out of the locker room, with several other Giants following, laughing and chanting and otherwise urging (in mocking fashion) Prince to try to get away from the much taller and much larger lineman.
Ultimately, Pierre-Paul dumped Amukamara into a cold tub, Amukamara emerged with a look on his face that didn’t convey amusement, other players continued to urge him (in mocking fashion) to stand up for himself, and Pierre-Paul strutted past the camera saying, “F--k that n----r ass, man. He ain’t gonna do sh-t to me, n----r. F--k that n----r.”
From the league’s perspective, it’s up to the Giants to decide what, if anything, to do about this one.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello tells PFT that the league regards the incident as a “club matter.”
It very well may be a “club matter,” but the league arguably should at least be concerned about finding out whether it was a prank, whether it was hazing of a non-rookie, or whether there was something more sinister to it. After all, the personal-conduct policy expressly prohibits "[v]iolent or threatening behavior among employees, whether in or outside the workplace,” and in the video Pierre-Paul and Amukamara are a pair of employees in the workplace.
The fact that the incident occurred and was recorded and shared with the public also arguably constitutes "[c]onduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players.”
Still, the NFL apparently has opted to punt on this one. It remains to be seen whether the Giants will be taking any action against Pierre-Paul or any other members of the team.
On the bright side, at least we’re talking about the Giants and not the Jets. For a little while.
