Giants' Ben McAdoo on using walkie-talkies: 'I violated the rule'

In his first comments since the New York Giantswere penalized for illegally using walkie-talkies in a Dec. 11 win over the Dallas Cowboys, coach Ben McAdoo publicly accepted the NFL's ruling.

The Giants were fined $150,000, McAdoo was fined $50,000 and the team's fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft will fall a maximum of 12 spots and could drop below compensatory picks, depending on the spot the team selects from.

The league levied the penalty Tuesday afternoon, after McAdoo had already met with the media. He was asked about it Friday during a conference call less than 24 hours after his team lost 24-19 on Thursday night to the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Obviously, I don't want to rehash what happened," McAdoo said. "I made the decision in the heat of the moment and I violated the rule. I own that decision. I take responsibility for it.

"There are no excuses. I deserve to be held accountable for my actions. I accept the penalty and move forward."

McAdoo grabbed the walkie-talkies in the fourth quarter of the Giants' 10-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys when he was having trouble with the headsets. It was a violation of the NFL's game operations policy. Coaches are not allowed to hold two-way radios during a game because such radios are not capable of being cut off with 15 seconds remaining on the play clock.

One NFL source told ESPN's Adam Schefter last week that even though the Giants weren't communicating with QB Eli Manning within 15 seconds of the play clock ending, they had the "opportunity" to do it.

Another NFL source told ESPN that people around the league think the Giants' actions were a "pretty big deal" and a "blatant disregard for a known rule for a competitive advantage." This source added that he thought the penalty was insufficient given the severity of the infraction.

The Giants cooperated with the league during its investigation. The league took into consideration that it was their first such offense. McAdoo is in his first year as an NFL head coach. He spent the previous two years as the Giants' offensive coordinator after eight seasons as an assistant with the Green Bay Packers.

The Giants (10-5) are on the verge of ending a five-year playoff drought. They could clinch a postseason spot as early as Saturday afternoon, depending on other teams' game results.