New York Giants Receiver Golden Tate Apologizes For Outburst

New York Giants receiver Golden Tate made his first public comments following his run-in with head coach Joe Judge over Tate’s emotional “me-first” outburst during the Giants’ Monday Night Football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A contrite Tate said he understood there are consequences to one’s actions and that he was remorse in having brought negative attention to the team.

“My actions were unacceptable, and I apologized to the team, the GM, the coaches, the offense,” Tate said Friday. “I’m excited to move forward.” 

Tate said his outburst in which he twice looked into the camera and screamed, “Throw me the ball!” was due to his competitive nature and not because he was trying to force a trade before the NFL trade deadline.

“I love this organization, to be honest. I love everything it stands for, and I want to do my part and help us win any way I can,” he said. 

“If you know me, I play with a lot of emotion, a lot of passion. I just got caught up in the moment. I was wrong to draw attention to myself and I take full responsibility for that. I handled it the wrong way and brought negative attention to our organization. So that won’t happen again.”

Right around the time of Tate’s outburst, his wife, Elise, posted a rant on her verified Instagram account that has since been deleted in which she called out the Giants for not getting the ball more to her husband.

Tate said he wasn’t aware of his wife’s actions until well after the fact but agreed that she shouldn’t have aired her feelings publicly. 

“In my wife’s defense, she is, and she always be my biggest fan,” Tate said. “I disagree with her taking it public, but I always have her back and I know that she was in her mind protecting me. And she was calling it how she saw the time without having talked to me or understanding what had happened.”

Tate’s rocky week began with a meeting with Judge that he characterized as being “very productive,” adding, “We talked like men, and I think we came up with solutions on how I can be better to help us.”

 Still, Tate was sent home by the Giants head coach after they met, and although he returned to take part in team meetings and practices the rest of the week, it was as a member of the scout team.

The final blow came when the Giants announced that Tate would not be making the trip to Washington for their game against the Football Team.

In the second year of his four-year deal with the Giants, Tate said he hopes to remain a part of the team beyond this season and reiterated his enthusiasm for the direction in which the team is headed. 

“I plan to honor my contract the best I possibly can,” he said. “I believe in this organization, and I believe in where they’re heading,” he said. “I believe in the people that they’re bringing in to be a part of this. 

“I’m thankful that I have an opportunity to be a part of it, and I just know that I’m excited to, to be a part of it. Now and hopefully I can do my part to get us to where we want to be.”