Michael Strahan knows exactly what the Giants were paying his buddy Osi Umenyiora and “underpaid’’ doesn’t begin to tell the tale.
“To be honest with you, it’s flat-out robbery,’’ Strahan said yesterday at the Big Daddy Oheka Castle Celebrity Golf Tournament in Huntington.
Strahan during his 15-year career with the Giants engaged in an occasional contract skirmish with the front office, and his protégé at defensive end followed in his footsteps before finally declaring peace. Umenyiora, for several years unhappy with the deal he signed in 2005, earlier this month agreed to a restructuring that will pay him about $6 million this season before heading into free agency.
“If it were me, I would have sat at home and I wouldn’t have played,’’ Strahan said. “That’s just me. I’ve threatened to do that in my time and I ended up getting what I wanted. Osi’s a different mindset than me. I’m probably a little more, ‘I don’t care what people think.’
“For him it works out, he’s going to be fine, he’s going to play well. If he played well under the previous situations of being unhappy to being somewhat happy now, I’m sure he’ll do great.’’
During the contract unrest, Strahan said Umenyiora should have taken a harder stance with the Giants.
“He just didn’t take advantage of it at the times when he should have,’’ Strahan said. “I think Osi has a good heart. He expects for people to do as what he would do, you expect people to treat you the way you expect to be treated. Sometimes in the game of business it doesn’t work that way and you have to understand it as a player sooner rather than later.’’
Umenyiora last season lost his starting job to Jason Pierre-Paul but still registered 12 1/2 sacks in the 13 games (including the postseason) he played.
“There aren’t many players who can do that,’’ Strahan said. “Osi’s gotten a bad rap over this, the contract, the contract, the contract. He’s always performed well when he’s been healthy. I think he’ll play well and I think next year, contract-wise, will be a big year for him and I can get a loan from him.’’