Overview
- The Giants’ final Week 18 injury report lists tight end Theo Johnson as out with an illness for the game against the Cowboys, his second straight missed game after not practicing all week.
- Johnson was shown courtside on the Madison Square Garden jumbotron Friday night and posted an Instagram story declaring, “I am not sick.”
- Team officials characterized his condition as an infection that is not the flu or COVID and said it is not considered contagious to others, per reporting from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
- Interim head coach Mike Kafka said New York is not resting players to influence outcomes, stating the team intends to play through the full game.
- The optics renewed fan and media speculation about tanking and potential injury-report manipulation that could draw NFL scrutiny, though neither the league nor the Giants have announced any investigation.