Lawrence Tynes noticed it back in the summer, the first time Steve Weatherford got down on one knee, caught the snap from Zak DeOssie and held for a practice field goal. Right then, Tynes, the Giants kicker, wondered what the heck was going on with the wedding ring on Weatherford’s left hand.
“The first day he held for me I said, ‘Are you gonna take that off?’ ’’ Tynes recalled yesterday. “Good thing it’s a black ring and it’s not like some diamond, shiny.”
Weatherford’s jewelry attracted plenty of attention when he scooped up DeOssie’s low snap and placed it down perfectly for Tynes, who nailed the game-winning 31-yard field goal in overtime last Sunday to send the Giants to Super Bowl XLVI against the Patriots with a 20-17 victory over the 49ers in the NFC Championship.
Up close, slow-motion replays of the kick reveal that Weatherford, in his first year as the Giants punter and holder, indeed does wear his wedding ring on the field, which is highly unusual.
“When I work out in the offseason I always wear my ring, so it’s really just a comfort thing,’’ Weatherford explained. “I feel awkward without it on and, yes, I really love my wife.”
Additional reporting by Mark Hale