by kyledunn 3 days ago
“SMILING THROUGH THE PAIN: Giants’ Kicker O’Neill Blows It, Then Plays Grab-Ass With Reporters After Super Bowl Loss”
By D.B. Leakins | DBL Wire
The Jets have done it again. In a rematch that gripped the football world, the New York Giants came within a whisper of redemption—only to have it slip away, this time by a heartbreaking 20–18 loss in the Super Bowl.
And the player at the center of the collapse?
Zack O’Neill.
The rookie kicker—drafted in the third round by Coach Ryan Dunn as the “future of special teams”—missed two extra points that ultimately proved to be the difference between glory and gut punch.
But if you thought the misses were bad, wait until you hear what happened after the game.
Multiple players report that, in the somber, gut-wrenched Giants locker room following the loss, O’Neill was seen joking around with reporters, making light of the game, and even grabbing the backside of a team media staffer in what one source described as “just classic frat boy Zack behavior.”
“It was like watching someone dance at a funeral,” said one stunned veteran. “He’s yukking it up like he just finished a Pro Bowl skills comp. Meanwhile, we’re sitting in full pads staring at the floor.”
Another player had to be held back by teammates after O’Neill reportedly joked about “being two-for-four if you count pregame warmups.”
“You miss two extra points in a Super Bowl, and you’re playing grab-ass with reporters?” one staff member asked. “This guy’s either clueless or heartless. Or both.”
O’Neill wasn’t just some plug-and-play UDFA. He was Coach Dunn’s handpicked weapon, taken with premium draft capital in a move many questioned at the time.
Those questions are now screams.
“Imagine what that pick could’ve done for our O-line,” one assistant coach allegedly muttered off-record. “Instead, we drafted a kicker who thinks the locker room is recess.”
Coach Ryan Dunn, normally reserved but composed, was visibly rattled in his postgame comments. When asked about O’Neill, he gave only this:
“We’ll evaluate every position this offseason. No one’s immune.”
For a kicker drafted for his poise, polish, and championship mentality, Zack O’Neill has delivered everything but. And now, as the Giants head into a long, bitter offseason, the only thing colder than his missed kicks may be the looks he’s getting from his own teammates.
Two missed kicks. One tone-deaf postgame. And zero rings.
Zack O’Neill may be a rookie, but in the eyes of Giants fans? He’s already worn out his welcome.