Toney apologizes for ejection in loss to Dallas Cowboys
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New York Giants rookie receiver Kadarius Toney had his best game of his short NFL career, and had to apologize for it.
The Giants had no problem with his 10 catches for 189 yards in the 44-20 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday.
Getting kicked out of the game in the fourth quarter for punching Cowboys safety Damontae Kazee didn’t sit well with coach Joe Judge. He had some choice words for the 20th overall pick in the draft as he left the field.
Toney, who had 10 catches for 92 yards in the first four games, apologized to Judge and his teammates Monday. Toney said he made a mistake and he has to be more accountable for his emotions and actions.
“It’s more of a moral thing, at the end of the day. I know right from wrong,” Toney said. “At the end of the day, I know that in this sport, it’s not boxing or hockey or anything else where you can just fight and stuff like that. At the end of the day, I’ve got to take responsibility for what I did and that’s just what it is. It was a wrong action.”
Toney also discussed the incident with Judge.
It’s probable Toney will be fined by the NFL and he might also face a suspension. Judge has refused to say whether the team plans to impose any sanctions.
“I like the way this guy has responded to a lot of things and I’m confident he’s going to respond the right way to this,” Judge said Monday.
Toney’s 189 receiving yards set a team rookie record, breaking the mark of 185 yards set by Odell Beckham, Jr. against Philadelphia in 2014. It was also the highest total by a Giants receiver since Beckham had 222 yards against Baltimore in 2016.
Having a breakout performance in a nationally televised game was special, Toney said.
“We worked on the plays over and over throughout the week and it just felt good to execute at a high level going out there,” he said.
Toney hurt an ankle in the game, but he said he expects to play Sunday at MetLife Stadium when the Giants (1-4) play host to the Los Angeles Rams (4-1).
Toney was pushed by Kazee, but he said his reaction was in the heat of the moment.
“I don’t really want to get into the details, but yeah, the footage is out there if you want to take a look,” he said.
Toney also had an incident on the bench after turning an ankle making a catch. He got frustrated, lifted his head and accidently hit teammate Jabrill Peppers in the face. The safety was out with an hamstring injury and had came over to see him.
___
More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
