Giants' Xavier McKinney nearly lost three fingers in ATV accident
New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney has revealed more information about the injuries he suffered in his ATV accident this past fall.
"I don’t think people understood the magnitude of what it was," McKinney told Steve Serby of the New York Post about his left hand. "They didn’t really understand how broken that it really was. I think a lot of people didn’t understand that I coulda really lost three fingers. I was almost close to losing three of my fingers."
McKinney's incident occurred in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, during New York's bye week that followed a loss at the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 30. It was said at the time he would miss at least a month of the season, and he later insisted he wasn't being "reckless" and was instead a victim of "an unfortunate event."
The 24-year-old returned to action wearing a cast for the Giants' 38-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17 that clinched a playoff spot for "Big Blue." McKinney then made the victory-sealing tackle late in this past Sunday's wild-card playoff game at the Minnesota Vikings:
"It wasn’t any bones sticking out," McKinney added about the status of his hand shortly after the accident. "It wasn’t a whole bunch of blood. It was enough though." He also said his fingers were "pushed in" and had to be pulled apart to be put in a splint.
McKinney ultimately underwent surgery and has since shared pictures of his repaired hand via Instagram.
After the accident, McKinney made necessary phone calls to his agent, Giants general manager Joe Schoen, and head coach Brian Daboll, among others. Defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale noted the second-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft was "distraught," "embarrassed," and "sorry that it happened."
As mentioned by ESPN, McKinney led the Giants with eight total tackles versus Minnesota. He may need to play even better if New York is to earn an upset victory at the top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) on Saturday evening.
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