NFL Fines Giants, Moves Back Draft Pick Over Walkie-Talkie Use
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The Giants will pay for breaking NFL rules by using a walkie-talkie in their Dec. 11 win over the Cowboys.
The NFL on Tuesday fined the Giants $150,000 and coach Ben McAdoo $50,000. The league also has moved the team's fourth-round draft pick in 2017 back up to 12 spots, but no lower than the final pick of the round.
"The New York Giants were notified today of the discipline for a violation of the NFL's game operations policy which prohibits the use of two-way radios by coaches to communicate plays during a game," the NFL said in a statement. "The policy states 'coaches are not permitted to hold a radio during a game because they will not be cut off when the Cutoff Switch Operator engages the cutoff."
In their own statement, the Giants said, "It was a clear violation of the rules, and we accept full responsibility and the penalty."
McAdoo was shown on television using a walkie-talkie on the sideline during the fourth quarter of New York's 10-7 victory.
The league has a policy that prohibits coaches from using a radio during a game because he would not be cut off from talking when the switch operator for the coach-to-player helmet communication system is supposed to cut off communication. That happens when the play clock reaches 15 seconds or when the ball is snapped.
McAdoo used the walkie-talkie for about five plays after his communications system appeared to go down. He was given the radio after someone on the sideline realized the radio signal was not reaching quarterback Eli Manning.
Replays seemed to show that the Giants also shuttled receivers into the game with plays at that point and Manning came to the sideline to get some calls.
The drive ended with Manning throwing an interception with 9:40 to play.
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