New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton was excused from practice on Tuesday. As it turned out, that was because he and his agent were mulling a pay cut demand from general manager Joe Schoen.
It was a business decision brought on by the mishandling of the team’s salary cap courtesy of Dave Gettleman, but one that had to be made. Slayton had to take a cut or be cut. He chose the former.
The 2019 fifth-round pick returned on Wednesday with a much lighter wallet, but that didn’t dissuade him. Slayton was the first player on the practice field and once that had concluded, he was the only Giants player to meet with reporters.
“My mindset now is Kristian Fulton and Roger McCreary are good corners. So is Kevin Byard and their other starting safety, they’re all good players. They’ve got a good defensive backfield that we’ve got to be ready for,” Slayton said when asked what his mindset was post-pay cut.
Questioned further about the pay cut and his current role with the Giants, Slayton refused to be baited.
“Yeah, run routes, get open and catch the football,” Slayton said of his role. “I just play football. That’s my job, it’s what I do for a living. I tend to do it well and I plan to do it well this year.”
But the beat would not relent. Slayton was peppered with questions about his pay cut from the start to finish of his press conference. At one point, he was even asked if he considered telling the Giants just to cut him.
Again, Slayton wouldn’t take the bait.
“Jeff Simmons is a hell raiser. He’s a really good defensive tackle. A good rusher, good player. We’ve got to be ready for him,” Slayton said.
Considering the circumstances, the down-to-earth Slayton couldn’t have handled an aggressive press any better. And the mere fact that he even showed up to fulfill his media duties is honorable.
Slayton has always handled himself professionally and Wednesday was no exception. He’s an easy person to root for and despite some of his drop issues, fans are likely to now rally behind him.
