Check the sales rack for the impending arrival of those once-coveted No. 80 jerseys.
Jeremy Shockey, born to be a New York Giant, is gone, traded yesterday to the Saints for a second and a fifth-round draft pick in 2009. Not long ago viewed – for better or worse – as one of the snarling faces of the Giants – Shockey grew so disenchanted with the franchise following the stunning Super Bowl triumph he missed out on that dissolution of the relationship became inevitable.
SERBY: Giants Blue It By Dealing Shockey
“I had a couple of long conversations with Jeremy this spring and summer,” co-owner John Mara said. “From those conversations, it was apparent to me that a fresh start was the best thing for us and for Jeremy.”
Even before Shockey, 27, went down for the season in the 14th game with a fractured left fibula and ligament damage in his left ankle, he was growing unrest. Dealing with the first major injury of his career proved to be a nightmare. He watched as the Giants got on a post-season roll and then heard rumblings that the team – and especially a surging Eli Manning – was better off without him.
Shockey wanted to watch Super Bowl XLII from the sideline but was told he could not, as he was on crutches following surgery. Deflated, he watched from a private box and saw his replacement, rookie Kevin Boss, haul in a 45-yard pass to set up the Giants’ first touchdown.
Following the incredible upset victory, Shockey vanished. He did not attend the off-season workout program (that was nothing new), nor did he show up for the White House tribute or the blue-carpet ring presentation ceremony.
The situation deteriorated even further when word got out Shockey requested a trade and then refused to adhere to Tom Coughlin’s plea to stand on the sideline during the veteran mini-camp in mid-June.
So why did the Giants finally accept the Saints deal, which was identical to the one first offered and rejected back in April prior to the NFL Draft?
GM Jerry Reese felt time would heal Shockey’s wounded psyche, but all time did was make things worse. The two engaged in a verbal confrontation during the veteran mini-camp after Shockey insinuated the team “betrayed” his trust by leaking private conversations.
“Jeremy Shockey was a great competitor and contributor during his years with the Giants,” Reese said. “We wish him well in New Orleans.”
The trade is contingent on Shockey – who is not fully healed from his surgeries – passing a physical with the Saints.
“Jeremy is a very talented football player who always played with great enthusiasm and great effort,” said Coughlin, who now directs a team without Shockey and the retired Michael Strahan.
Clearly, the Giants realized keeping Shockey was going to lead to trouble. No one knows if he had any intention of reporting to camp on Thursday and even if he did, his attitude would not have been conducive to team harmony.
Reports surfaced that the Giants tried to deal Shockey in a three-team trade that would have landed them Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, who instead landed with the Redskins.
“This trade is bittersweet for Jeremy,” said Drew Rosenhaus, Shockey’s agent. “He will miss his teammates and coaches in New York. He will also miss the great Giants fans. However he is very excited about the Saints.”