In his third NFL season, Darnay Holmes played a part in a magical New York Giants season that ended years of agony and losing and led them to their first playoff victory since Super Bowl 46. Though Holmes' individual contributions were far from insignificant, they were somewhat overshadowed by a viral video with rather raunchy optics.
After the Giants rallied from a 17-3 deficit to pull off an upset of the Green Bay Packers in Week 5, a video emerged of Holmes receiving treatment on his thigh from a trainer on the sideline, which showed Holmes with his pants pulled down, fully exposing his rear end. (Warning: NSFW language and images in video)
During an appearance on the 2nd Wind Podcast, Holmes shared the complete story behind the moment seen in the video, which came at a critical moment as the Giants tried to hold off Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' effort to tie the game in the closing moments.
"I knew I had a thigh bruise. Once it gets stiff, it's over with. Your day's over with," Holmes said. "So I'm like 'I can't let it get stiff, man, it's two-minute.' I'm like, 'Hey, J [the trainer], I need you to rub on my thigh. But I know this can go south -- let's go to the tent.'
"He's like 'Nah, y'all 'bout to hit the field, man. Y'all about to hit the field.' I'm like, 'It is what it is at this point. Bet.'"
Everything worked out in the end, as the Giants were able to get the stop they needed and snuff out a Hail Mary to seal their 27-22 victory. But by the time the Giants got on the plane back to the United States, the story had spread to team owner John Mara and general manager Joe Schoen.
"We win the game, we celebrating, we on the plane ... Our GM and owner come up to me like 'So that's how you get it down?'"
As the Giants' top slot cornerback, Holmes finished the season with a career-high 38 combined tackles to go with eight passes defensed and a forced fumble. As a fourth round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft who has played significant snaps over his first three seasons, Holmes has earned a nice bump in pay thanks to the NFL's Proven Performance Escalator program, bringing his base salary for this season up to $2.743 million.
However, that bump in pay also makes Holmes a potential cap casualty, as he will have to prove his value in a slot cornerback competition that also includes Cor'Dale Flott, Aaron Robinson, and others in training camp.
