Giants rookie wide receiver Kadarius Toney was having the best game of his NFL career on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, but he then made a mistake that will be talked about more than his performance.
Towards the end of the fourth quarter and with the game out of reach, Toney threw a punch at Cowboys safety Demontae Kazee and was ejected. The rookie had made 10 receptions for 189 yards, breaking former Giants WR Odell Beckham, Jr.‘s rookie record of 185 yards in a game.
Head coach Joe Judge was furious at Toney on the sideline, telling him to get to the locker room immediately. After the game, Judge spoke about the ejection.
“Look there’s a pretty distinct line in terms of competing and doing things that we’re not going to condone as a team that put us behind,” Judge said. “That’s not going to be accepted, that’s not going to be condoned. That’s as far as I’m going to go right now with that. Obviously it resulted in him leaving the game, and I’m just going to leave it at that right there.”
Toney may be subject to a suspension for the incident, as Judge said he’ll “let the league handle that.” The rookie did not speak to media after the game, but Judge went on to talk about how he’ll handle the situation in the locker room.
“I think every rookie has a lot of maturing to do,” Judge said. “You’re asking specifically about an incident, I’m going to address that with the team. I’m going to address that with the players individually as well, make sure we’re on the same page. There shouldn’t be any confusion in that at all. I’ll leave it at that.”
Through four games, Toney has made 20 receptions for 281 yards. He’s also run the ball twice for eight yards. Toney was selected with the 20th pick in the first-round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Florida.
“I think he’s being very productive,” Judge said. “He’s a very talented player. I’ve said for a number of weeks, especially at that position, the receiver position, it takes some time to learn. There’s a lot of difference coming from college to the league for those positions.
“These guys obviously have a lot of, just, natural ability. He’s building a lot of technique, a lot of savvy. He’s really understanding what the other teams are giving him. He’s making plays. He was highly productive for us today in terms of making plays, getting down the field. He’s a tough dude, I don’t think there’s any question about that and I think he’s a very smart football player.”
