Umenyiora apologizes; Giants start trimming roster

After storming out of practice yesterday without permission, Giants’ DE Osi Umenyiora expressed remorse but would not be specific about his reason for leaving. 

“I made a mistake by leaving the facility today,” he said in a statement late yesterday.  “I was wrong.  I came here this afternoon and met with coach Coughlin, coach Sheridan and coach 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’m concerned.” 

Asked if Umenyiora would be punished for leaving practice, Coughlin told the media today, “That is between the player and myself.”   

According to various reports, Umenyiora was upset at Sheridan criticizing his play while watching film of the loss to the Jets Saturday.  And the fact that he mentioned Sheridan by name and that he doesn’t have a problem with him furthers my belief that he did in fact have a dispute with Sheridan, the team’s rookie defensive coordinator who takes over for Steve Spagnuolo. 

The Giants also began trimming their roster, cutting CB Stoney Woodson, a seventh round draft pick this past April.  They also cut WR Taye Biddle and OL Terrance Pennington yesterday, and TE Lee Vickers and OL Andrew Carnahan today.  They also placed RB Andre Brown on injured reserve after Brown ruptured his Achilles in practice and had surgery last week to repair it.  So the roster is down to 74 with more cuts to come, one of which could be WR David Tyree, he of the miracle Super Bowl catch two seasons ago.  The Giants and the other 31 teams must be down to a 53-man roster by 4pm on Saturday.

Tags: 53 man roster, Andre Brown, Andrew Carnahan, Bill Sheridan, David Tyree, Giants, Jets, Lee Vickers, Mike Waufle, Osi Umenyiora, roster cuts, Steve Spagnuolo, Stoney Woodson, Taye Biddle, Terrance Pennington, Tom Coughlin