Associated Press
Associated Press
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks is expected to be sidelined up to three months after breaking his right foot at a team organized activity early Thursday.
Nicks fractured the fifth metatarsal of his right foot as he was running a route during individual drills in the Timex Performance Center field house, the team said in a release later in the afternoon.
Nicks is scheduled to have surgery today to have a screw inserted into the broken bone. The procedure will be performed by foot and ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C. The expected recovery time for Nicks is approximately 12 weeks.
The Giants, who lost Super Bowl hero Mario Manningham to free agency, have depth at receiver with Victor Cruz returning along with Domenik Hixon, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, and Ramses Barden. Second-round draft pick Rueben Randle showed a lot of talent in the recent rookie minicamp, as well.
New York is scheduled to report to training camp at the University at Albany on July 26.
The fifth metatarsal generally takes a long time to heal because there isn’t a lot of blood flow to the area.
Nets center Brook Lopez was limited to five games this past NBA season after breaking his fifth metatarsal in training camp. He returned after missing 33 games of the league’s shortened season, and then sprained an ankle on the same foot and never came back.
Cornerback Prince Amukamara, the Giants’ first-round draft pick in 2011, broke his fifth metatarsal in training camp on Aug. 6. He did not play in a game until Nov. 20 and he never looked 100 percent in his rookie season as the Giants won a Super Bowl.
Union leader says facts prove collusion
WASHINGTON — NFL players union chief DeMaurice Smith says his group’s claim of collusion will stand up in court.
The NFL Players Association claimed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota on Wednesday that the 32 teams had a secret salary cap in place during the uncapped 2010 season, and that it cost players at least $1 billion in wages.
“Cartels do what cartels will do when left unchecked,” Smith said Thursday outside union headquarters. “The facts justify the complaint.”
On Wednesday, hours after the court action, the NFL issued a statement saying “the union’s claims have absolutely no merit and we fully expect them to be dismissed.”
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello also said: “There was no collusion. There was no agreement. These claims are totally unfounded.”