Umenyiora fined for missing media session
Osi Umenyiora answers questions from the media during Media Day ahead of Super Bowl XLVI against the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium. (Jan. 31, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
INDIANAPOLIS -- Many people are paying big bucks for a chance to get a little bit of the Super Bowl experience this week. Osi Umenyiora will pay to avoid it.
The Giants' defensive end was fined $20,000 by the NFL for failing to participate in Wednesday's mandatory 45-minute media session at the team hotel. He was the only player or coach from either team not to participate.
Umenyiora attended media day on Tuesday and answered an hour's worth of questions, but he also complained that neither he nor any of his teammates truly wanted to be there (except, he said slyly, for media darling Justin Tuck). He was with the team after Wednesday's media session.
"I misunderstood the schedule," Umenyiora said in a statement through the team. "It won't happen again, and I will be at [Thursday's] media session and available after the game. I apologize for any inconvenience my absence this morning may have caused."
Interestingly, Wednesday was the first day that Patriots left tackle Matt Light was available to address reporters. The two players have had several run-ins throughout their careers, and last week Umenyiora joked that he might try to goad Light into a fight so they could both be ejected. Light missed Tuesday's media day because he was feeling "under the weather," and he was not fined.
Light dismissed the idea that he and Umenyiora are rivals.
"I don't know the guy personally, and we're not pen pals," Light said. "We've played football against each other. I'm not sure how you categorize that. No, I wouldn't view it as anything more than anybody else I've ever faced."
