Giants' Wink Martindale Says Xavier McKinney's Criticism 'Hurts the Locker Room' | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

New York Giants free safety and captain Xavier McKinney was publicly critical of the team's coaches this week, saying in part that the players weren't feeling "heard" from the staff.

On Thursday, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale addressed the situation, saying it "hurts the locker room" and caught him off guard:

Charlotte Carroll @charlottecrrll

Wink Martindale spoke candidly about Xavier McKinney's comments following Sunday's loss. <br><br>They came as a surprise and hurt. It's not something that's happened to <a href="">#giants</a> DC before <br><br>Martindale said his message to the safety was that his public grievances hurt locker room <a href="">

"It surprised me, because it's the first time it's ever happened in my career," he added. "That a player would make a statement like that. I think it was a case where the kid is just frustrated from losing. We spoke. We cleared it up. The example he gave me of what he was talking about was an in-game adjustment. And it really took a while for him to point out to me what exactly it was, but I think you grow from that."

In his original comments, McKinney said it was difficult going out onto the field and making plays when it didn't feel as though the coaches were hearing their perspective and making adjustments based on what the players were seeing.

"I think that from a leadership standpoint, I don't think they've done a great job of letting the leaders lead—and listening to the leaders and the captains," he told reporters. "It was one of those things where you have some of your leaders, captains from a defensive standpoint, trying to switch things up. And just not really being heard."

McKinney also noted that he and Martindale have since spoken and patched things up.

"We met, and we're going to keep pushing," he said. "We got on the same page, and we're keeping everything in house. We're on good terms, so everything is good. We're just going to keep working, keep trying to figure out how we can be able to string these wins together. That's really all that matters at the end of the day. But everything is good."

It isn't surprising that frustrations are mounting in New York. The Giants are 2-7, rank last in the NFL in both yards (268.9) and points (11.2) per game, 21st in yards allowed per contest (338.3) and 24th in points allowed per game (24.1). They are tied for 28th in takeaways (eight) and 31st in sacks (15).

It's been ugly, and it probably isn't going to get better any time soon, with quarterback Daniel Jones out for the season and a matchup against the Dallas Cowboys this week.

One interesting subplot for McKinney is that he'll be a free agent following the 2023 season. He's been solid for the team this year, posting 53 tackles, six passes defensed and a forced fumble in nine games, but it's unclear if his public remarks might have created a rift with the organization that could end with him signing elsewhere in the offseason.

His preference, however, would be to remain with the Giants.

"I love being here," he told reporters. "I love this team. I love this organization. Obviously, they're the organization that gave me a chance in the first place. They're the ones that drafted me [in the second round in 2020] and made my dreams come true. My heart lays here, and I feel at home for the time that I've been here. I would love to continue being here."