Giants' Joe Judge addresses Kadarius Toney's controversial tweet on Henry Ruggs DUI crash
Judge said that for Toney and others: 'it's not a headline to them'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York Giants head coach Joe Judge has his hands full this week as he copes with a struggling offense and a COVID outbreak but on Thursday he addressed the fallout from a tweet rookie wide receiver Kadarius Toney sent that appeared to sympathize with Henry Ruggs following a fatal DUI crash he was involved in.
Judge seemed to suggest to reporters ahead of Thursday’s practice that Toney’s remark was not meant to minimize the seriousness of the incident that left one person dead and another seriously injured.
GIANTS ROOKIE’S HENRY RUGGS TWEET LEADS TO SHARP CRITICISM FOR EX-JETS PLAYER
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I have spoken to Kadarius, I’ve spoken with the entire team on this issue," Judge said, via ESNY. "The one thing that’s unique about this situation with Henry is the number of relationships he has throughout this league. Whether you’re from the state of Alabama and you know him from high school and from competing against him, or you were a teammate of his at Alabama — a significant number of those guys are playing in the NFL. When I talked to my team about the situation, I’m literally looking at guys’ eyes that it’s not a headline to them. That this is a friend of theirs, this is a teammate of theirs, this is something different."
Officials attempt to separate New York Giants' Kadarius Toney (89) and Dallas Cowboys' Damontae Kazee, right, after Toney threw a punch at Kazee in the second half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Ruggs, 22, is facing several felony charges after crashing his Chevrolet Corvette into the back of a Toyota RAV4 early Tuesday morning, killing 23-year-old Tina Tintor. Prosecutors allege that he was traveling 156 mph seconds before the crash with a blood alcohol level of nearly double the legal limit.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Las Vegas Metro Police investigators work at the scene of a fatal crash Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Las Vegas. Police in Las Vegas say Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was involved in the fiery vehicle crash early Tuesday that left a woman dead and Ruggs and his female passenger injured. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Toney took to social media the following day to comment on the incident but his take was met with harsh criticism.
"We young…..everybody make mistakes….y’all lookin at the situation like ‘this or that’ kuz it ain’t y’all…having so much too say....he know he messed up don’t drag em for it……that’s goofy to me….just pray for the families involved," the tweet read.
Judge reiterated Toney’s remark about thinking of all the families involved.
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"The important thing is that we express that our prayers are with everyone involved with this…I’ve talked with Kadarius and it’s important that we understand how we articulate our words, how we put it out there. Ultimately our prayers are with everybody — this is a situation no one wants to see happen with anybody, no one wants to be in this situation. While no one is, in any way, shape, or form, dismissing consequences at all, it’s horrible on both sides. It’s absolutely horrible."
Toney has made headlines this season already after throwing a punch at Dallas Cowboys safety Damontae Kazee last month.