Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
New York Giants players reported for camp Friday morning and Osi Umenyiora has yet to arrive.  According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Giants defensive end did not show up for his 9 a.m. ET physical.
The team’s next scheduled event is a team meeting at 1 p.m., and Umenyiora is likely to miss that as well, sources told Schefter.
Umenyiora is at odds with the Giants over getting a new contract. He has two years and a total of $8 million remaining on his contract and he wants a raise.
The Umenyiora situation and a possible Plaxico Burress reunion are the biggest storylines surrounding the Giants entering camp. Burress will meet with head coach Tom Coughlin and general manager Jerry Reese on Friday night at the team facility. They will not have dinner but are expected to have their long-awaited face-to-face sit down after 6 p.m. when free agents can officially visit team facilities.
Justin Tuck doesn’t expect Umenyiora to have a meeting with Reese on Friday. The defensive captain said earlier this week that if things do not change with Umenyiora’s contract, he doesn’t expect his friend and teammate to report on Friday.
During a recent labor negotiation session a few weeks ago, John Mara, the team’s CEO and co-owner, spoke to Umenyiora during a break and told him that the Giants wanted him and that he needed to hash out his differences with Reese.
“We expect him to be here with the other veterans,” Mara said onthe Mike Lupica show on ESPN New York 1050. “I told him that I very much wanted him to continue being a Giant and want him out on that field as much as we have ever wanted him on that field. But he needs to go and sit down with Jerry Reese and close the door and talk things over man-to-man and then get back out there on the field and hopefully that will happen.”
Reese meets with the media on Friday afternoon for the first time since Umenyiora said in a sworn affidavit as part of the Brady et al. vs. NFL lawsuit that the general manager promised him back in 2008 that he would give him a new deal or trade him if he were still playing at a high level in two years.
If Umenyiora holds out, he will be fined a league-mandated $30,000 per day.
The Giants might not be able to accommodate Umenyiora’s contract demands. They have been trying to free up cap space to re-sign their own free agents like running back Ahmad Bradshaw, wide receiver Steve Smith and tight end Kevin Boss. The Giants were also in discussions to restructure Brandon Jacobs’ contract, which has a $4.65 million base number this season.
The Giants have already released center Shaun O’Hara, guard Rich Seubert, fullback Madison Hedgecock and tackle Shawn Andrews.
They are expected to release defensive tackle Rocky Bernard Friday to save more money.
Also, the Giants agreed to terms with defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, which gives the team some leverage and flexibility when it comes to Umenyiora.
They still have Tuck, Kiwanuka and emerging second-year pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul at defensive end.
Ohm Youngmisuk covers the Giants for ESPNNewYork.com – FULL STORY HERE
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