Chris Canty at the 18th Annual Gridiron Gala hosted by the New York Giants, New York Jets and the United Way, where NY Giants Chris Canty and NY Jets Tony Richardson were honored in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. (Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post)
At least one player is adamant that when Sept. 8 comes around, the NFL season will start as scheduled.
“[The labor dispute] will definitely be settled. There will be a football season,” Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty said yesterday at the 18th annual Gridiron Gala at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan, where he and Jets fullback Tony Richardson received awards for their commitment to community service.
“The fans don’t have to worry about that,” Canty added. “We’re going to have football this fall, and we’re going to try and put the quality product on the field that they are used to seeing come September.”
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Canty, who was the first Giant to show up at the team’s training facility to work out when the lockout was temporarily lifted last month, said he was disappointed in Monday’s court ruling that froze the lower court’s injunction, essentially letting the owners continue the lockout at least until the players’ appeal begins June 3.
“It’s tough because you’d like to have the opportunity to prepare for the season in the offseason,” Canty said. “You’d like to be able to get with your teammates in the confines of the facilities and work with the coaches, to try and improve your football team and try to get ready to play your best football in the fall.”
Richardson, a 16-season veteran who said he also was discouraged by the ruling, acknowledged the lockout has not affected him as much as it will younger players.
“I’m more concerned for guys who were just drafted,” he said. “They need to be in there working. They need to learn the lingo.”
The 39-year old Richardson, who is a free agent after spending the past three seasons with the Jets, acknowledges the labor dispute makes it possible he has played his last game as a professional.
“I was fortunate enough to be in this league for 17 years,” he said. “For me, if an opportunity presents itself, whether it’s in New York, where I would love to stay, or somewhere else, and I still have the itch to play, then I will do that. But [the labor battle] is not about me.”
Whether he re-signs with the team, Richardson said he likes the Jets’ chances to finally get to — and win — the Super Bowl this season.
“The great thing about this league is, there is parity, every year stands on its own,” he said. “A lot of people would think [the Jets] have done it two years in a row, how in the world could they possibly do it a third? But you don’t think about it like that, because every year is different. Why not the Jets?”
Canty was honored for his work as the founder of The Chris Canty Foundation, which fights childhood obesity and helps increase education in poor New York and New Jersey communities. Richardson’s award honored his Rich in Spirit Foundation, which benefits the Special Olympics and has provided thousands of kids with school necessities and dictionaries.