/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56386549/usa_today_10241605.0.jpg)
Rookie defensive end Evan Schwan was carted off the MetLife Stadium field near the end of Saturday’s game against the New York Jets with a fractured foot. That in itself was sad enough for the New York Giants’ undrafted free agent from Penn State. What made it worse was that the play on which Schwan was injured, perhaps ending his chance to be an NFL player, never should have taken place.
Giants’ coach Ben McAdoo was furious about the circumstances, calling it “inexcusable” during his conference call with reporters on Sunday.
“New York decided to stop the play. They felt there was enough time to get the play stopped. The communication didn’t happen fast enough from New York to the playing field, and they let the play go on,” McAdoo said.
“It should’ve been a sack-fumble and end of the ball game. We ended up having a player get carted off the field on it, which is inexcusable to have a play that doesn’t count, or never existed, and have a player get carted off the field.”
Here is what happened.
Right after the two-minute warning, Jets’ quarterback Christian Hackenberg completed a pass along the sideline to ArDarius Stewart that moved the ball from the Jets’ 34-yard line to the Giants’ 47.
The Jets then ran a play where Hackenberg was hit by a blitzing Ryan Murphy. Rushing from the left defensive end, you see Schwan get his foot caught and take an awkward hop. The play doesn’t appear in the game summary because it never officially happened, with the league’s New York office slow to notify referee Brad Allen that the Stewart catch needed to be reviewed. Typically, reviews are not granted once another play has been run.
Schwan ended up having an air cast placed on his left foot.