![New York Giants defensive coordinator Don \"Wink\" Martindale on the field for mandatory minicamp at](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_359,w_3936,h_2214/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/31/01hkr1j70n60xx4nd373.jpg "New York Giants defensive coordinator Don \\"Wink\\" Martindale on the field for mandatory minicamp at")
This is a mess and things are only getting worse. In a matter of two days, Wink Martindale appears to be going from beloved by the NY Giants fan base to a bit of a villain. On Monday, shocking news dropped that Martindale had resigned from his post as defensive coordinator.
However, this now looks like it was months in the making, as his relationship with head man Brian Daboll was beyond repair. New reports state the two were quite sick of one another, with Martindale lashing out at Daboll when they met on Monday.
This presumably came after Martindale's good buddy Drew Wilkins, NY's outside linebackers coach, was fired. Shortly after that, Wink told Daboll he was done, but it didn't happen with hugs and handshakes:
From what I understand, this is accurate https://t.co/U9170V3YhE
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) January 9, 2024
Wink Martindale reportedly stormed out of his meeting with Brian Daboll on Monday
So, Martindale was livid with Daboll, stormed out of their meeting, informed the Giants he won't return as defensive coordinator, but he hasn't officially submitted his resignation and no one can get a hold of him? This has a TV drama written all over it.
Daboll has a ton of changes coming for his coaching staff, but there was hope that Martindale would come back for one more year to lead the defense. Now, though, he's on his way out and the search for a new DC is underway.
However, things aren't simple here for Wink. The assumption is he'll receive plenty of interest from different organizations, but he's under contract with the Giants through the '24 campaign. Daboll and Joe Schoen aren't going to just let him go anywhere he wants - there's been buzz of a move to Philly, but that can't happen.
When Jay Glazer first dropped his report of there being beef between Daboll and Martindale, the two did everything possible to try and quiet down that talk. However, it turns out Glazer was on the money with what he had to say. Martindale clearly does not like Daboll and their issues reached a boiling point. It's a shame, but people aren't happy with the way Martindale has handled himself here.