NFL will not suspend Giants OG John Jerry

Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

John Jerry‘s name was mentioned in the Ted Wells report on Dolphins locker room conditions 106 times. Yet despite engaging in a “pattern of harassment” and making “persistent inappropriate comments”  towards Jonathan Martin, the newly acquired Giants offensive lineman will not be directly suspended for his role in the incident. He will, however, be facing a medical (mental) evaluation from league personnel. If the testing reveals that a plan for treatment is required, Jerry could still be facing time away from the field.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell elaborated on the next steps, acknowledging Jerry’s somewhat uncertain fate:

“Our focus right now, at least in the case of the three players, is that they would be evaluated. We talked with the union several times about that. We agreed that was the right first step.”

“The first thing is to get the evaluation to determine what the treatment is. Depending on what the doctors prescribe there, that could prevent them from being part of football for some period of time. But that is a medical decision.”

While the Giants performed their “due diligence” prior to bringing Jerry aboard, they never did consult the commissioner regarding the league’s plan of action. In speaking with the New York Post, Giants owner John Mara said: “We were certainly aware of that and did some research into him, and we’re satisfied that he’s going to be a good citizen for us. We did not talk to the league about him, but we did talk to a number of people.”

In other John Jerry news, the veteran will qualify for the minimum salary benefit according to Over the Cap. His signing will save the Giants $610,000 on the salary cap.