During the New York Giants’ Week 5 win over the Seattle Seahawks, wide receiver Darius Slayton was flagged for “unsportsmanlike conduct” on a celebration following a first down reception near the sidelines.
After the play, Slayton got to his feet and pointed up the field, as many NFL players commonly do when they move the chains. Unfortunately, a member of the Seahawks staff was in his path, so Slayton raised the pointed arm above the bystander’s head to avoid hitting him.
Only, NFL officials saw that motion and believed Slayton was mimicking the firing of a weapon — something the league has begun penalizing in recent years. That misunderstanding drew the flag.
Later, on October 8, Slayton vocalized his opinion of this call on social media after a fan shared still images of different NFL stars doing the exact same motion as the Giants wideout. The images included Patrick Mahomes II, CeeDee Lamb and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Above them, Slayton’s message read: “It’s cool when they do it.”
Giants WR Darius Slayton Says NFL Has Not Fined Him for First Down Finger Point
Fortunately, the league appears to have recognized that an error was made by referees on this occasion.
On October 9, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan reported that “Slayton said he hasn’t gotten fined for his pointing gesture that got flagged after a first down on Sunday.”
Although NFL fines are not typically revealed to the public until the following Saturday, players generally learn about them midweek. So, unless a late fine occurs, the Giants will just have to live with receiving an unjustified penalty in a game that they won.
Per Duggan, Slayton also “joked that if he does get fined, all of the players who didn’t get flagged for doing the same thing could chip in to defray the cost.”
Darius Slayton Could Be in for Another Big Week vs. Bengals
Against the Seahawks, Slayton stepped into the Malik Nabers’ role in the offense, and he was utilized a similar amount.
The veteran finished the game with 8 catches off 11 targets from quarterback Daniel Jones. He also scored a 30-yard touchdown and legged out a 41-yard long.
With the way things appear to be trending for Nabers in Week 6 — the rookie has not participated in practice or cleared concussion protocol heading into Friday — Slayton could be in for another huge outing versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals pass defense has been shaky in 2024. Through five games, they’ve allowed 6.6 net yards per pass attempt, which ranks ninth worst around the league. They’ve also given up the 12th most total yards through the air, and they are tied for third in passing touchdowns allowed with 10.
Based on this matchup, Week 6 could be another big passing night for Jones, and if that’s the case and Nabers is sidelined, expect Slayton to be heavily involved once again.
Giants Missing 4 Players at Thursday’s Practice Ahead of Bengals Matchup in Week 6
Along with Nabers, ESPN NYG beat reporter Jordan Raanan informed that “OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (wrist), G Jon Runyan (illness) [and] WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton (shoulder) also DNP [did not practice].”
The biggest concern — outside of Nabers — is Thibodeaux, who could miss “4-6 weeks” according to Duggan.
“Early word from a source on Kayvon Thibodeaux’s expected timeline from surgery on the broken scaphoid bone in his wrist: 4-to-6 weeks is typical with this injury,” Duggan said on October 9. “It’s possible he could be back in less time, but it’ll depend on how he feels/recovers. Thibodeaux got a screw inserted in his wrist in the surgery, per source.”
Earlier on October 9, Giants head coach Brian Daboll categorized Thibodeaux’s injury as “week-to-week,” but he refused to speculate further before receiving more information from medical personnel.
The giveaway will likely be whether or not Big Blue places the former first rounder on the injured reserve. If they know Thibodeaux is going to miss several weeks, he should be placed on IR before Sunday night. If his timeline looks to be shorter than that, potentially, they might not.
Running back Devin Singletary (groin), outside linebacker Brian Burns (groin), cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (calf) and nickel CB Dru Phillips (calf/shoulder) were all limited at Thursday’s practice, per Raanan.
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