Jeremy Shockey: 'Tom Coughlin Is a Wonderful Man, a Great Coach'

When Jeremy Shockey was traded from the Giants to the Saints, it was generally assumed that it was because he was unhappy with the team. Shockey had said he would make the Giants pay, and coach Tom Coughlin suggested that Shockey was traded because he didn't share Coughlin's team over self mentality.

Lots of bad blood between Shockey and the Giants, right? Well, maybe not. Shockey said this to Peter King:

"I really have no hard feelings,'' he told me. "I loved my years with the Giants. I loved [late owner] Wellington Mara. I really appreciate the chance [former GM] Ernie Accorsi and coach [Jim] Fassel gave me, and [president] John Mara is a class man. Tom Coughlin is a wonderful man, a great coach. I had six wonderful years there. I hold no animosity toward anyone there. I'm just happy I get to make a fresh start, and the Giants should be happy, too -- they got a couple of good draft picks out of this.''

Seriously? Coughlin -- the guy who fines players for being late to meetings if they're four minutes early -- is a wonderful man?

Anyway, it's nice of Shockey to take the high road here. He could just as easily rip his old team on the way out the door, and that he isn't doing that is to his credit.