The past three seasons have been difficult for New York Giants kicker Graham Gano. He has missed 20 games due to injuries over that span and made only 76.3 percent of his field goal attempts. And on Thursday, he revealed he has also received disturbing messages from fans.
Gano said he has received death threats and other ill-spirited messages during his time in New York, including after missing a field goal for the first time this season in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
“I hear everyone else’s frustration — media, fans. I mean, shoot, ever since sports betting started happening, I get people telling me to kill myself every week,” Gano said. “Because I’ll hit a kick that loses them money. I’ll miss a kick, and it loses them money. It was the other day, somebody told me to get cancer and die. I mean, that stuff’s part of it.”
The 38-year-old kicker is on his 16th season in the NFL, so he said he’s used to “that stuff” and offered his perspective on the vitriol some NFL players receive.
“I really don’t respond. I mean, I try not to see as much as I can. Then, if I start seeing that stuff, I just shut it off. Unfortunately, that’s part of the game,” Gano said. “A lot of people just send you stuff. Like, I’ll get letters. I’ll get fans telling it to my face. Game days, the DMs.
“I think, especially nowadays, when you talk about mental health, it’s tough. I’ve gotten thick skin over the years. I think early on it really bothered you a lot. But, I mean, nobody wants to hear that stuff. I think everybody in the locker room knows that if you have something going on, to talk to somebody about it. I hope that everybody in here would.”
Gano is on the precipice of missing his 21st game over the past three seasons, after not practicing Wednesday and Thursday. He was diagnosed with a herniated disc earlier in the week after feeling discomfort in his neck last week. The issue was exacerbated during New York’s game against San Francisco and after lifting weights Monday. Gano has already spent time on injured reserve this year.
He got an injection in his neck and said he’s feeling improvement since the beginning of the week, though. He hopes to kick tomorrow during practice and potentially play in Sunday’s contest against the Chicago Bears.
“It’s unbelievably frustrating. I mean, obviously, all I want to do is play football. I can’t control the injuries that have happened,” Gano said.
Gano has been in the NFL since 2009 and has watched sports betting and social media reshape fans’ interactions with players.
“I’ve been playing ball since before social media. So, I’ve gotten to see the whole gamut of it. I think it’s tough for a lot of the younger guys, you know, if you really look at that stuff,” Gano said.
“But, I mean, I get it too. People are passionate. A lot of it I understand. But I just want to do my best. I’m proud to be a Giant. I wish there was something I could do to not be hurt. At the end of the day, I want people to know I care,” he added. “I wouldn’t be playing this long if I didn’t.”
Following Thursday’s news of the death of Dallas Cowboys linebacker Marshawn Kneeland by an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, several players have spoken up about the importance of mental health awareness, including Gano.
“You never want to hear anything like that from anybody,” he said. “I think the biggest thing, I mean, it’s not just football. It’s everybody. If you have anybody that is on your mind to reach out to, do it. You never know. It could be the difference. Check on your people.”