Former Panther calls out team for mishandling his injury

The New York Giants are facing the Carolina Panthers in Week 7, and it will definitely be a revenge game for one Giants player.

Giants kicker Graham Gano, who was with Carolina from 2012 to 2019, called out the Panthers this week for mishandling an injury he suffered in 2018. Gano says that the team misdiagnosed a left leg injury that ultimately cost him the entire 2019 campaign.

“It was potentially career-ending,” said Gano, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. “That whole thing was mismanaged. They told me I had one injury when it was actually a lot worse than that. What really needed to be fixed wasn’t. I shouldn’t have missed the full season I did. But there’s no changing it now, so I’m just thankful to be playing here [in New York].”

The former Pro Bowler suffered a fractured left femur and did not recover until he underwent knee surgery in 2019 after getting a second opinion at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery. Gano also says that his departure from the Panthers was frustrating because they cut him without giving him a chance to kick again after he got healthy.

The 34-year-old Gano has since enjoyed a resurgence with the Giants. He is one of the more productive kickers in the NFL this season, connecting on 12 of his 14 field goal attempts and all six of his extra point tries. Interestingly enough however, this is not the only time that the Panthers medical team has come under fire for their handling of an injury.

Photo: May 25, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers place kicker Graham Gano (9) walks to the practice field at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports