Tag: Ronnie Barnes

Giants’ Ronnie Barnes preaches resiliency in commencement speech

During a recent commencement speech, New York Giants head athletic trainer Ronnie Barnes preached “resiliency” — a Super Bowl XLII mantra.

Ronnie Barnes, the New York Giants’ long-time senior vice president of medical services and head athletic trainer, recently delivered the keynote address at the spring commencement ceremony at his alma mater, East Carolina University, in Greenville, North Carolina.

Barnes, who has worked for the Giants for nearly 15 years in various capacities, imparted some of the wisdom he gathered from his years with Big Blue.

“One lesson I’ve learned throughout my own journey is this: Resilience is not merely the ability to endure hardships, but it’s the power to transform those hardships into opportunities for growth,” Barnes told ECU’s graduating class of 2024 of approximately 3,800 students. “I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most resilient individuals in professional sports. From players overcoming career-threatening injuries to coaches strategizing in the face of adversity, I’ve witnessed first-hand the transformative power of resilience.

“But resilience is not reserved solely for the gridiron or the playing field, as you well know. It’s a quality that transcends boundaries and empowers us to confront the challenges of everyday life with courage and determination. It’s what enables us to pick ourselves up when we stumble, to push through the pain when it seems insurmountable, and to emerge stronger and more resilient on the other side. As you embark on this next chapter of your lives, I urge you to embrace the challenges that lie ahead with the same resilience and the same determination that has brought you to this very moment.”

Barnes graduated from ECU in 1975 and began working for the Giants shortly after. He has been around for all four of the franchise’s Super Bowl triumphs, including Super Bowl XLII when “resiliency” was their mantra.

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Ex-Giants VP accuses team of ‘inherent and unconscious’ racial biases

Former New York Giants VP Marc Ross says the team and many other NFL teams have “inherent and unconscious” racial biases.

The New York Giants are one of 13 NFL teams that have never hired a Black head coach. That social issue was compounded earlier this year when they passed on Brian Flores in favor of Brian Daboll.

Flores, who allegedly found out he had been passed over during a texting snafu with Bill Belichick, later filed a lawsuit against the Giants, the NFL and several other teams.

The lawsuit alleges the Giants’ interview process was a “sham” at that Flores was simply used to satisfy The Rooney Rule.

True or false, the optics of the messy hire and their lack of history with Black head coaches doesn’t reflect well for the Giants. And that’s because of their “inherent and unconscious” racial bias, says former Giants vice president of evaluation Marc Ross.

“There’s inherent and unconscious biases,” Ross told The Washington Post. “I heard that tons when I did my GM interviews: ‘We thought you were amazing. You’re outstanding. You’ll be a GM one day. We just felt comfortable with this guy.’ . . . And I think Black candidates, Black coaches just don’t get that benefit of the doubt of ‘We feel more comfortable.’ Why not? Because these owners are used to being around certain people and they’re comfortable with certain people.”

Ross wasn’t necessarily singling the Giants out, but his comments did stem from questions about co-owner John Mara, who he believes prefers white candidates over Black candidates. But in the same breath, Ross said he doesn’t believe Mara is overtly racist.

“We strongly believe that racial diversity, including among our most senior coaching and executive ranks, makes us a stronger and better organization,” said team spokesman, Pat Hanlon. “John Mara’s leadership on the NFL’s Diversity Committee is a direct reflection of the organization’s commitment to creating more diversity within the Giants organization and the league as a whole.”

The Giants may not have hired a Black coach in their history, but dating back to the days of Wellington Mara, diversity was never an issue. They signed defensive back Emlen Tunnell in 1948 and he went on to become the first Black Hall of Famer in NFL history. He also later joined the Giants’ coaching staff.

In 1976, the Giants brought in Ronnie Barnes as an athletic training intern. Four years later, he became the first Black head athletic trainer in NFL history and he remains with the team today.

Then, in 1994, the Giants hired Jerry Reese as a college scout. He became the team’s general manager 2007 and the first Black GM to ever win a Super Bowl.

Still, although they are confident in their hiring practices, Mara recognizes the lack of diversity among their head coaches throughout history.

“It’s certainly something I’m aware of,” Mara told NJ Advance Media this week. “At the end of the day, we want to get the right person. I think we have a good, diverse group of candidates right now, and will make a decision based on who we think will be the best person to lead us in the future. But it was very important that we have a diverse group of candidates.”

Given how well the Brian Daboll era has started, it’s unlikely the Giants will be thrust into a head coaching search any time soon, so questions about their past will persist.

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Giants inducting Leonard Marshall, six others into Ring of Honor

The New York Giants will induct seven members into the Ring of Honor in 2022, including Leonard Marshall and Ronnie Barnes.

It’s been a long time coming, but Leonard Marshall is finally entering the New York Giants’ Ring of Honor.

Co-owner John Mara officially announced the news on Tuesday and noted that six others will be joining Marshall. They include Ottis Anderson, Joe Morris, Rodney Hampton, Jimmy Patton, Kyle Rote and Ronnie Barnes.

“We are proud to add these deserving and legendary figures in Giants history to our Ring of Honor,” Mara said. “Each of the players was among the very best at his position to wear a Giants uniform. All of them helped our franchise win championships and enjoy long-term success, as has Ronnie Barnes, who has been an invaluable and beloved member of our organization for decades.”

The induction ceremony will be held at halftime of a Week 3 game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Monday, September 26.

Marshall was a second-round pick of the Giants in 1983 NFL draft and spent 10 seasons with the team, winning two Super Bowls. He was also named to the Pro Bowl twice and earned Second-Team All-Pro honors twice.

Anderson joined the Giants via trade from the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986 and spent six-plus seasons with Big Blue. He also earned two Super Bowl rings during that time and was named MVP of Super Bowl XXV.

Hampton was a first-round pick of the Giants in the 1990 NFL draft and spent the entirety of his eight-year career with the G-Men. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and picked up a championship ring with the club as a rookie.

The Giants selected Morris in the second-round of the 1982 NFL draft. The two-time Pro Bowler spent seven seasons in New York and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 1985. He was also a key part of the Super Bowl XXI team.

Patton was an eighth-round pick of the Giants in the 1955 NFL draft and spent his entire 12-year career with the team. He was a five-time First-Team All-Pro, one-time Second-Team All-Pro and earned five Pro Bowl honors. He helped lead the Giants to an NFL championship in 1956 and lead the league in interceptions in 1958.

Patton passed away in 1972 at the age of 39.

Rote was a first-round pick of the Giants in the 1951 NFL draft and he spent all 11 years of his career with the club. He earned two Second-Team All-Pro honors and was named to the Pro Bowl on four separate occasions. Like Patton, he helped lead the team to an NFL title in 1956.

Rote passes away in 2002 at the age of 73.

Barnes was hired by the Giants as an assistant athletic trainer in 1976. He was promoted to athletic trainer in 1980 and just one year later, became the first-ever full-time Black head athletic trainer in NFL history. He has been with the Giants for all four of their Super Bowls and was inducted into both the ECU Athletics Hall of Fame and the National Athletics Trainers Association Hall of Fame.

In 2019, Barnes was given a lifetime achievement award.

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Lawrence Tynes on Giants’ injury woes: Players were over-worked

Lawrence Tynes believes the New York Giants’ recent history with injuries stems from players being over-worked.

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New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen says one of his first orders of business will be doing a “deep dive” into the team’s recent history of injury.

“Some of the issues around here in the past have been injuries. We need to do a deep dive into that and make sure we’re doing everything we can so these players can put their best foot forward on Sundays,” Schoen told Tiki and Tierney.

It will also be important for the next head coach to make sure the injury issues are capped.

“Are you going to listen to Ronnie Barnes and the guys downstairs? Are you going to listen to the strength coach? Are you going to listen to the sports performance when they tell you we need to pull back and don’t keep pushing?” Schoen said.

But retired Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes doesn’t necessarily believe there needs to be a deep dive. He remains plugged into the organization and claims the injury issues are the result of something very obvious.

Although former general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge repeatedly said they made decisions in the players’ best interest, several did seem to return early. And being overworked on top of that likely stemmed from a paper-thin roster.

But that only explains the previous two years. The Giants’ injury issues extend well beyond that and all the way back to the Tom Coughlin era in 2009. Since then, the Giants are the league’s most-injured team, having players miss over 3,000 combined games due to injury.

No one else in the NFL has reached the 3,000-game threshold over that same span.

Many maintain that Ronnie Barnes and the Giants’ medical staff are the best in the business, but the results no longer seem to reflect that. Even if you can explain away the injury issues from the previous two years, there is still more than a decade of unanswered injury questions.

The Giants hope Schoen is able to uncover something that has clearly been missed. Something beyond being overworked the previous two years.

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Joe Schoen says Giants will do ‘deep dive’ into injury woes

New York Giants GM Joe Schoen intends to do a “deep dive” into the team’s injury woes in an effort to find a root cause and a solution.

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Since 2009, no team has dealt with more injuries than the New York Giants. In fact, their players have missed more than 3,000 combined games over that span due to injury.

How is that possible, you ask? That’s a great question and one that must be answered.

The Giants have gone through three general managers, five head coaches (it will be six shortly if you count Steve Spagnuolo) and complete personnel turnover during that time. Everything has changed on repeat with the sole exception of the injury issues.

Newly hired general manager Joe Schoen intends to set out on a journey of discovery to pinpoint the issue and fix it once and for all.

“Some of the issues around here in the past have been injuries. We need to do a deep dive into that and make sure we’re doing everything we can so these players can put their best foot forward on Sundays,” Schoen told Tiki and Tierney.

Making sure the injury issues are capped will be a key part of the Giants’ head coaching search as well.

“Are you going to listen to Ronnie Barnes and the guys downstairs? Are you going to listen to the strength coach? Are you going to listen to the sports performance when they tell you we need to pull back and don’t keep pushing?” Schoen said.

Don’t expect a magical turnaround, especially given that Schoen appears poised to keep Ronnie Barnes & Co. in place. But perhaps advancements in on-field analytical data will help ease the injury burden and send the recent trend in the opposite direction over the next few seasons.

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Giants’ Daniel Jones flew to Los Angeles for second opinion on neck

New York Giants QB Daniel Jones flew to Los Angeles for a second opinion on his neck but did not receive the news he wanted.

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New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones flew to Los Angeles on Monday alongside the team’s long-time head trainer Ronnie Barners.

Jones wasn’t there to beat his teammates ahead of a Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, but to meet with Dr. Robert Watkins for a second opinion on his neck.

The end result? Jones was not cleared for contact.

“He actually went to L.A. with Ronnie Barnes and saw a doctor up there. So, we’re on the west coast, there’s some doctors that are familiar with things with necks and that’s where they went,” head coach Joe Judge told reporters.

Jones rejoined his teammates and was a limited non-contact participant in practice on Wednesday and while Judge refused to rule him out for Sunday, it’s becoming more clear that this is a serious injury.

“In terms of the updates right now, he still hasn’t been cleared for contact,” Judge said. “He’ll continue to go through practice like he did last week. He’ll throw with the team. He’ll move. He’s in all of the meetings. We’ll see if anything changes in terms of his status, but he has not been cleared for contact.

“There’s not an immediate timeline. This could change quickly, it could change over time. Talking to the doctors and the medical team, there are some things that they’re just waiting on in terms of just making sure that he’s cleared for contact. When it comes to necks, backs, things of that nature, we’re not going to take any risks with our players.”

Pressed again about the significance of Jones’ injury and whether or not it’s season-ending, Judge expressed a mild optimism.

“There’s nothing at this point that we’ve been told that would indicate this would be season-ending,” Judge said. ” I’m optimistic. . . that he’s out here working with us, that’s a good sign.”

Judge admitted that being sidelined is not easy for Jones, but notes that he’s taken a team-first approach and has been helping the other quarterbacks.

When Jones returns is up in the air but it’s highly unlikely to be this weekend against Justin Herbert and the Chargers.

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Giants’ Dave Gettleman holds year-end press conference: 10 takeaways

New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman held his year-end press conference on Wednesday and here are 10 takeaways.

New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman took the podium on Wednesday morning for his year-end press conference, which came on the heels of co-owner John Mara formally announcing the GM’s return.

Mara indicated that no real consideration had been given to replacing Gettleman, which could be felt when the GM stepped up to the plate. He sounded like a man who was still very much in control.

Here are a few takeaways from Gettleman’s final presser of the season.