Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley apparently not only players involved

Details are emerging after video and photos of maskless New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley apparently out at a bar in New York City on Friday night.

According to multiple reports, Jones and Barkley were not the only Giants out at the event, which NorthJersey.com said was a private dinner held in a Manhattan restaurant that is closed to the public. NJ Advance Media said that Sterling Shepard, Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor and perhaps other players were also in attendance.

The Giants issued a statement saying that the team is “aware of the video that was posted. We are looking into the nature and context of what is on the video.”

The video that surfaced on Instagram Saturday was taken by a man who goes by the name DJ Lugghead. NJ Advance Media reported that Lugghead crashed the party. Lugghead has since deleted the video. Lugghead also initially claimed the video was from a year ago, but it has since been shown to have been taken Friday night.

The New York Post said:

After dinner, the group was invited by a bar owner known by the group to have a drink at a private bar, which is closed to the public. It was at that bar where the video, posted and shared to Instagram by someone who goes by the name of DJ Lugghead, was recorded. DJ Lugghead served as a driver for the Giants group that night.

There has been no official comment from the NFL. Considering how the league has treated previous violations of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols, though, it’s not hard to guess that there are fines coming for Giants players at the event. Per the Post, “Under the league’s COVID-19 protocols, players can be fined for conduct detrimental if they are found to have engaged in “reckless” behavior, according to ESPN, including attending a gathering at an indoor bar with more than 10 people (other than to pick up a to-go order) without wearing a mask.”

The league fined several Las Vegas Raiders players between $15,000 and $30,000 for attending a fundraiser held by Raiders tight end Darren Waller. Some players at the fundraiser were photographed without masks.

The league has also fined the Tennessee Titans $350,000 for COVID-19 violations that included “failure to comply with requirements on wearing masks and insufficient clear communication regarding workouts outside the facility.”

The Raiders could also be in line for fines after right tackle Trent Brown tested positive for the virus and Brown and other Raiders were apparently found in violation of league protocols.

Several coaches have been fined by the league this season for not wearing masks, or for wearing them improperly, during games.

Ordinarily, players out on a Friday night when they are off and don’t play again for more than a week would be no big deal. These are not, though, ordinary times.

Giants coach Joe Judge has said a number of times that to this point players on the team have been diligent about following the league’s COVID-19 protocols. He has also often said that there are consequences for mistakes.

Judge recently benched rookie left tackle Andrew Thomas for a quarter after he was late to a meeting. If the facts warrant, would Judge implement discipline such as benchings to players found to be involved in this incident?