Kayvon Thibodeaux Draws Criticism For Sack Celebration
As the New York Giants prepare for their final game of the regular season, rookie linebacker Kayvan Thibodeaux has drawn criticism for his Week 17 sack celebration.
It came after a sack left Indianapolis Colts quarterback Nick Foles injured.
While Foles laid on the turf in obvious pain, Thibodeaux celebrated next to him.
He didn’t seem to notice the injured Foles, and instead did fake snow angels.
However, he was also caught by camera mocking a “go-to-sleep” sign as Foles was getting treated.
Colts head coach Jeff Saturday condemned Thibodeaux after the game, calling it “tasteless and trash.”
#Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday tells reporters that, 1. Nick Foles is “really sore” and won’t play. 2. Sam Ehlinger will start. 3. Kayvon Thibodeaux is “tasteless” and “trash” for his snow angel celebration. 4. He’s upset his linemen didn’t take matters into their own hands.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 2, 2023
Foles was later ruled out of the game, and has now been ruled out for the Colts’ season finale against the Houston Texans.
Meanwhile, Thibodeaux claims that he didn’t realize Foles was injured.
While he has apologized for the celebration, he hasn’t seemed pressured by the comments against him.
He also made it clear that hearing those comments doesn’t affect him personally.
He also said that nobody on the Giants took an issue with the celebration, and that the team brought him to New York to cause such disruption to opposing QBs.
Kayvon Thibodeaux says no one with the Giants had an issue with his snow angel celebration:
“They brought me here to be a savage and take over the game. Impacting the game is affecting the quarterback. That’s what I’m here to do.” pic.twitter.com/dXwtENNhUU
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) January 4, 2023
Thibodeaux has done exactly that this season.
Despite starting off the season slow, he has picked it up in recent weeks.
His breakout Week 15 performance against the Washington Commanders bookmarked that.
In that game, he came up with a clutch fumble-six recovery.
The move may have stirred up controversy with those on the Colts sideline, but it has endeared Thibodeaux to Giants fans.
He seems to be developing well into the role of a defensive corner piece in his rookie season.