Report: Giants cut Damontre Moore after fight over headphones
The Giants released defensive end Damontre Moore on Friday after a pre-practice fight with teammate Cullen Jenkins that, according to NFL.com, was related to headphones.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported, citing a source, that Moore was upset that he didn't receive free Beats by Dre headphones like some players on the team.
The Giants did not provide details, but general manager Jerry Reese said in a statement: "We made the move today in the interest of both parties."
The 23-year-old Moore, a third-round pick in 2013, was benched in Week 7 after a blatant roughing-the-passer penalty, and Rapoport reported that this incident was the last straw.
Moore has not started a game in his two-plus seasons and has 8.5 sacks in his career. Moore, who was not at practice on Friday, had played in 11 of the Giants' 12 games. He was inactive against Dallas on Oct. 25 after coach Tom Coughlin benched him for a late hit on a quarterback Sam Bradford in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles the prior week.
The NFL fined Moore $20,000 for the hit. When he returned, he picked up roughing-the-quarterback penalties against the Saints and Buccaneers in consecutive weeks in early November, although it seemed those calls were based more on his reputation than actually being late hits.
Still, Moore never seemed to gain the trust of Coughlin. The coach even said as much after the roughing-the-passer calls.
Coughlin did not issue a comment in the release the Giants sent announcing Moore's departure. He did not mention him talking to the media before practice Friday.
Moore had 17 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and five special teams tackles this season. He had a season-high five tackles (three solo) plus a special teams tackle last week vs. the Jets. His other big game was a two-sack performance with a forced fumble in a victory over San Francisco on Oct. 11.
Coming out of Texas A&M in 2013, Moore was considered an outstanding athlete who the Giants had hoped would develop into a dynamic pass-rushing end. He never seemed to take the next step and he ran afoul of the coaching staff with those silly penalties.
Ironically, Reese was in Moore's corner last season. During the bye week, he told the media that he felt Moore should play more.
"He needs to play a few more snaps," Reese said on Nov. 11, 2014. "It seems like when he gets in the game, he makes something happen."
In the end, Moore never did enough on the field to stay with the team. It also appears he was enough of a distraction in recent weeks to get cut.
In three seasons, Moore played in 42 games and had 47 tackles, 8 1/2 sacks and 21 special teams tackles.
The Giants did not immediately announce a replacement for Moore on their roster.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
