"Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora missed practice Monday without giving Giants coach Tom Coughlin an explanation. Umenyiora, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, attended meetings in the morning at the team's headquarters. However, he left unexpectedly without talking to Coughlin and didn't return for the workout. A league source confirmed a Newark Star-Ledger report to ESPN.com's Matt Mosley that Umenyiora skipped practice after getting into a dispute with new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. Sheridan, the former linebackers coach who replaced Steve Spagnuolo as coordinator, reportedly criticized Umenyiora for making a mistake in Saturday's game against the Jets.
Umenyiora surfaced later in the evening and issued a statement.
"I made a mistake by leaving the facility today," the statement said. "I was wrong. I came in here this afternoon and met with coach Coughlin, coach Sheridan and coach [Mike] Waufle and apologized and explained why I left the building; that will remain between us. I have no problem with our defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan or any of our coaches. That's the end of it, as far as I am concerned (ESPN)."
This is really the last thing the Giants needed. They have had so many distractions over the last year, and just when it looked like it all might quiet down this happens. Still, this doesn't seem like it will be a long term problem. Umenyiora already apologized, and it seems like he just needed to clear his head. I expect him to be fined, and maybe not start week 1 (for a series or two), but in the end this will all mean very little...
