Osi in the house, but for how long?
New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin, left, talks with Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka, right, during training camp at the team's NFL football practice facility in East Rutherford, N.J. (July 31, 2011) Credit: AP
Osi Umenyiora took his physical Sunday morning, attended meetings during the day and suited up for practice in the evening. The only thing he didn't do was play football, and there's a question whether he will ever do that again as a New York Giant.
Umenyiora reported to training camp Saturday evening, ending his 30-hour holdout, and Tom Coughlin said Umenyiora and general manager Jerry Reese had a conversation that night.
"I think there was something good that came out of that," Coughlin said of the two feuding parties.
But after his physical, Umenyiora visited team physician Russ Warren for an examination of his hip, which was surgically repaired during the offseason. Coughlin said he doubted that Umenyiora would be cleared to practice, and the defensive end spent the workout standing to the side, rocking back and forth, with his hands behind his back holding his helmet.
Umenyiora wants a new deal or a trade to a team that will give him one. His agent had no comment on the conversation with Reese or on speculation that the Giants could be working to resolve his request in one way or the other. ESPN reported that in their conversation, Reese told Umenyiora that if they were to shop him, they would be looking for a first-round pick.
There also were reports that Umenyiora would welcome a trade to the Seahawks. He wants to be paid like a top-five defensive end, but he won't be in his current contract, which has two years remaining. And although his agent has said Umenyiora is eager to talk to the media about his situation, a Giants spokesman said he is waiting for things to "sort themselves out" before he speaks.
"He's excited to see everybody and we're excited to see him," defensive tackle Chris Canty said of Umenyiora's return. "I know that there's a little bit of a medical issue there as well, so we're going to let that play out as much as we can. I don't know much about it, but we're excited to have him in the building and we're excited to have him as a part of our football team."
The Giants could pull the trigger on a trade at any time.
Said Coughlin, "You'd hope to have him here with our other outstanding players because together with the group that we have, I think we can present some issues."
But right now, the only issues Umenyiora is presenting are for the Giants.
