New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson was spotted at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks' loss to the Atlanta Hawks, even though he was ruled out of Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys due to a noncontagious illness. Johnson, who missed practice all week, appeared cheerful on the jumbotron and shared social media posts insisting he is not sick. His season ends with the Giants at 3-13 after a strong performance with 45 catches for 528 yards and five touchdowns.
New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson attended the New York Knicks' game against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, despite being declared out for the team's regular season finale against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday due to what the Giants described as a "noncontagious illness."
Johnson had not practiced all week and was sent home along with other players earlier in the week after returning to the team facility following an illness that also caused him to miss the Giants' 34-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders the previous week. Linebacker Abdul Carter, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence also missed practice on January 1, but only Johnson is officially out for the Cowboys game, with Hyatt listed as questionable.
During the Knicks' game, Johnson was shown on the jumbotron smiling and later posted a courtside photo on Instagram. He reposted a social media image shared by a New York Post reporter, captioning it, "I am not sick."
Interim coach Mike Kafka commented on Johnson's status earlier in the week, saying, "So he's just got still this little bit of a sickness and this infection that we're just working through. So he's just kind of trying to clean it up. See where it goes."
Johnson's second NFL season concludes with 45 receptions for 528 receiving yards and five touchdowns across 15 games. The Giants, with a 3-13 record, are tied for the second-worst mark in the league alongside the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, and Tennessee Titans.
