Giants, Ben McAdoo Punished by NFL for Walkie-Talkie Usage: Details and Reaction

The NFL fined the New York Giants $150,000 and head coach Ben McAdoo $50,000 on Tuesday for their illegal use of walkie-talkies during their 10-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Albert Breer of The MMQB.

The league also moved the team's fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft to the back of the round. According to an NFL statement (via Breer), the selection is now after any compensatory picks but "no more than 12 selection spots from where the Giants finished in draft order for that round."

"It was a clear violation of the rules, and we accept full responsibility and the penalty," the Giants said in a statement, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.

During the game, McAdoo was seen holding a walkie-talkie on the sidelines when he was having difficulty communicating with quarterback Eli Manning, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

Rapoport, citing sources, noted the Giants used the walkie-talkies for four or five plays.

That practice is illegal, as the NFL noted in its statement: "... Coaches are not permitted to hold a radio during a game because they will not be cut when the cutoff-switch operator engages the cutoff."

Rapoport offered more details:

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First of all, the Giants were not using the same frequency as the Cowboys, so they could not hear any of their play-calls. Not only is it not possible (it isn't programmed that way), the communications system is monitored by a league employee wearing an orange hat and that was not found to be the case.

The walkie-talkie is league-issued, not team-issued, and the team only has access to it on game day. The system is allowed on the sideline, but a coach is not allowed to use it.

A backup quarterback is permitted to use the walkie-talkie, and that's often where it's found on the sidelines. It does not appear that was the case with the Giants and Ryan Nassib, though it's one issue the league is checking.

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The Cowboys have not filed a complaint with the league over the incident.

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