NFL Fines Giants $150K, Ben McAdoo $50K For Use Of Walkie-Talkies Vs Cowboys

The NFL has fined the New York Giants $150,000 and coach Ben McAdoo $50,000 for their illegal use of walkie-talkies during their Week 14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, the league announced Tuesday.

NFL Fines Giants $150K, Ben McAdoo $50K For Use Of Walkie-Talkies Vs Cowboys

In addition, the Giants’ fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft will fall a maximum of 12 spots in the fourth round and could drop below compensatory picks, depending on the spot the team will select from.

The penalties were for a violation of the league’s game operations policy. Coaches are not permitted to hold two-way radios during games, because such radios cannot be cut off with 15 seconds remaining on the play clock, and thus would give any team that uses them an unfair advantage. Giants quarterback Eli Manning was forced to use some of his receivers, including Odell Beckham Jr., as messengers to relay McAdoo’s plays after Manning’s helmet communication stopped functioning. McAdoo used the walkie-talkies for five plays. The drive ended when Manning threw an interception, and the Giants ultimately won the game 10-7 at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 11.

People around the NFL appear to think the Giant’s actions are a “pretty big deal” and a “blatant disregard for a known rule for a competitive advantage.”

The league took into consideration that the team fully cooperated with the investigation and that it was their first violation of the policy.

The Cowboys did not file a formal complaint with the NFL, but the league was quick to begin investigating after McAdoo was seen blatantly using a walkie-talkie.

Cowboys executive Stephen Jones wouldn’t confirm or deny last week that his team contacted the league regarding the matter.

“We don’t comment on things like that,” he said, “but it’s obvious to everybody what happened, and my understanding is it’s being looked into and handled.”

Jones added the Cowboys believed the use of walkie-talkies did not affect the outcome of the game.

McAdoo said he hadn’t thought about what would be an appropriate penalty, adding he was instead concentrated on the Giants’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.

McAdoo is in his first year as an NFL head coach. He spent two seasons as the Giants’ offensive coordinator.

The Giants’ punishment seems light, which likely reflects how the league viewed the violation. The Atlanta Falcons were fined $350,000 and stripped of a fifth-round pick for pumping in fake crowd noise. The Kansas City Chiefs were forced to forfeit a 2016 third-round draft pick and a 2017 sixth-rounder for violating the league’s tampering rules when it contacted then-free agent Jeremy Maclin illegally before signing him.

Additionally, former Cleveland Browns general manager Ray Farmer was suspended four games for illegal cell phone use during a game.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 3: Bobby Hart #68 of the New York Giants and teammate Odell Beckham #13 talk while walking off the field after the first half of the game against the Minnesota Vikings on October 3, 2016 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)