New York Giants wide receivers coach Chad Hall got a whole lot more face time than he signed up for during Thursday’s practice.
Hall was filling in as the defensive back for an individual drill when Malik Nabers, still limited in a red non-contact jersey while working back from last year’s torn ACL, went to release off the line. The two somehow crossed signals on which way they were heading. Nabers punched through with an arm-over move, and his helmet caught Hall flush in the mouth, splitting the coach’s lip open and leaving him bloodied right there on the field.
Talk about taking one for the team.
The medical staff stitched Hall up on the spot so he could stay in the mix. The tough dude stuck around for the rest of practice and still showed up for his media session afterward as if nothing major had happened.
Head coach John Harbaugh walked everyone through the mix-up.
“I don’t know if you saw what happened to the wide receivers coach, Chad Hall, in individual. So, we had a rule that everybody respects the red jersey for Malik, obviously, when he’s out there, and in individual, Chad was the DB and Malik was releasing off of Chad. Somehow they crossed signals in which way they were going, and Malik went to punch his way through, arm over, and he caught Chad right in the face. Split his lip open, he got stitches right out there on the field,” he said. “Chad Hall took stitches on the field. Tough dude.”
Hall kept it light, joking that the Novocaine was starting to wear off a little bit and admitting he just wanted the stitches so he could get back out there. No lip service needed—this guy is as durable as they come on the coaching staff.
Even with Nabers still easing his way into more work, including some team drills, camp intensity found a way to leave its mark. Hall walked away bloodied but unbowed, proving that Giants coaches can take a punch and keep coaching.
