With thousands killed, New York devastated and the World Trade Center destroyed, the Giants are feeling the same helpless feeling and asking the same helpless question the rest of the America is: What next?
When most woke up Tuesday morning, their primary concerns were that day’s practice and Sunday’s home opener with Green Bay. Neither was an issue yesterday, as the NFL and the nation struggle to regroup in the wake of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.
“It is very difficult to articulate a response to yesterday’s tragedy,” coach Jim Fassel said in a release yesterday.
“Like all Americans, our organization experienced a broad range of emotions yesterday. Even greater than the anger and sorrow that I felt personally, the overriding emotion I felt was pride as I watched, like everybody else, the courage and the response of the emergency personnel and the citizens of the metropolitan area and beyond.”
The Giants, returning from Denver, had landed at Newark at 5:45 a.m. Tuesday morning, and their buses arrived at Giants Stadium 45 minutes later.
The players had the day off, but the coaches, football support and front office staff were in their offices when the skyjacked Boeing 767 crashed into the North Tower. Word spread through the team’s offices just before the second plane crashed, and the team offices closed, although the coaches stayed and 6-8 players came in for treatment.
The NFL hasn’t announced whether it will play Sunday. On Nov. 24, 1963, commissioner Pete Rozelle ordered games played two days after the Kennedy assassination. It remains to be seen whether Paul Tagliabue will do the same; it may be the furthest thing from the minds of the Giants and the rest of New York.
“It is inappropriate to talk about the games we play right now. That is not what’s important. We will get back to the games when the time is right,” Fassel said. “The league is in the process of determining what to do regarding this weekend’s schedule.
“They have a number of considerations to take into account as they make that decision. My coaches and I will continue to prepare in the event that we play the games this weekend. We will adjust accordingly when a decision is made.
“Like everybody else in this country, we will have a role in helping to get things back to normal. When we are told that it is our time to be a part of that process, we will do just that.”