Neck MRI on Larry Donnell causes concern for Giants

Larry Donnell was running around and practicing with the team on Monday and was excited to get back on the field this weekend for his first game since Nov. 1. But while he said he feels fine and is experiencing no discomfort at all, a recent MRI on his neck had the Giants' medical staff concerned enough to hold him out of practice on Wednesday and likely sit him against Washington on Sunday.

"We thought it was just spasms and a strain," Donnell said of the injury, which he initially suffered while making a catch against the Saints. "I feel fine now, but I mean obviously something is wrong, so we've just got to figure it out and see what the process is."

Donnell said he was expecting to meet with doctors to go over the results of his latest imaging on Wednesday afternoon.

"I don't really know too much," he said prior to that meeting. "I don't really want to know."

Donnell would miss a return to Washington, where he had a four-touchdown breakout game last season. He has 29 catches for 223 yards and two touchdowns so far this year. The Giants already have lost veteran tight end Daniel Fells to a MRSA infection this season and have played the last two games with a pair of first-year players at the position: Jerome Cunningham and Will Tye.

Donnell certainly is aware of how fragile and confusing such neck injuries can be. Running back David Wilson may have been the most extreme case, having his career end due to spinal stenosis and a series of neck injuries despite experiencing no pain when off the field. Donnell said he's not thinking about that kind of long-term situation and said he expects to play again this season.

As for this week?

"At this time," he said, "it's not looking too good."

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.