Giants fined, lose draft spot for walkie-talkie use against Cowboys

Ron Clements

Giants fined, lose draft spot for walkie-talkie use against Cowboys image

Ben McAdoo's use of a walkie-talkie during the Giants' Dec. 11 win against the Cowboys ended up costing both the coach and his team.

The NFL announced on Tuesday it has fined the Giants $150,000 and moved their fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft to the end of the round. The league also fined McAdoo $50,000 for using a walkie-talkie on the sideline to communicate with quarterback Eli Manning.

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The fourth-round pick would be after any compensatory picks at the end of the round, but will be no more than 12 spots lower from where the Giants would finish in the draft order for that round. 

The team's usual radio communication system was not working, so McAdoo opted for the walkie-talkie during the 10-7 win over the Cowboys. But that violated an NFL policy that prohibits the use of handheld two-way radios by coaches, since those radios cannot be silenced by the game's appointed cutoff switch operator. 

"It was a clear violation of the rules," the Giants said in a statement, "and we accept full responsibility and the penalty."

 

Ron Clements