Giants’ Wink Martindale ‘hurt’ by public criticism from starting DB

New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale admitted he was quite bothered by some comments made by starting safety Xavier McKinney.

McKinney, a defensive captain, told reporters after Sunday’s blowout loss against the Las Vegas Raiders that he felt team leaders were “not really being heard.” That did not sit well with Martindale, who has a reputation for being a player-friendly coach who is receptive to concerns.

“It did [hurt],” Martindale said, via Jordan Ranaan of ESPN. “It did because I’ve always been open, and I’ve always been honest with players. I think if you have a problem, it’s just how we handle things in that room.”

Martindale added that he and McKinney had sorted things out privately, and chalked it up to a case of frustration.

“I think you grow from that, and I just told him that is something that it hurts the locker room. It hurts the defensive room when you say something like that,” Martindale added.

McKinney’s comments do seem like a case of frustration boiling over, especially since the defense has not been to blame for most of the Giants’ issues. The offense has been a mess, and the latest big injury is only going to make matters worse.

The Giants sit at 2-7 ahead of their Week 10 game in Dallas on Sunday.