Giants running back Rashad Jennings wrote a public letter of apology to quarterback Eli Manning this week and it was featured on the back page of Wednesday's edition of the New York Post. Jennings will appear as a guest columnist there throughout the season.
And for those who feel like this is a telltale sign of a dumpster fire in the making -- it's not even the bye week and there's already a public apology for something? -- we're here to tell you why this was a good move by Jennings.
First, a piece of the letter, which you can read in full here. Jennings, as you may know, told reporters that Manning told him not to score at the end of the Giants' disastrous season-opening loss to the Cowboys. It fueled a firestorm around the quarterback, who is also taking plenty of heat for not simply taking a sack on an ill-advised passing play.
*I see now how what I said could easily be misunderstood as an expression of resentment. I make no claims to be a perfect communicator. But I also assure that I had no ill will at all in stating what I did. Yet, I admit in retrospect that I should not have shared that information with the world. I chose to do so, and for that choice, I am truly sorry. *
As soon as I got word of the headlines, I called Eli, and before I could even begin to apologize, he basically expressed his understanding. Being the humble guy that he is, he wanted us to put this fiasco behind us with no hard feelings so that we could focus on the Falcons.
Jennings has only been in New York for two seasons but has already picked up on the fact that fans essentially communicate via the back pages of New York tabloids. This move will be seen for the genuine gesture it was, but will also further endear Jennings to an understandably salty group of Giants supporters trying to at least cling to the fact that their team is holding it together.
