The New York Giants canceled their indoor practice scheduled for Thursday due to the poor air quality inundating New York and New Jersey thanks to the massive wildfires burning in Canada.
With air quality compromised inside the Giants field house, coach Brian Daboll canceled the workouts after consulting with team doctors and coaching staff.
Coach Daboll also canceled Friday’s schedule, too, according to the New York Post.
Officials add that the schedule will be back on for a mandatory minicamp next week.
“Let this thing settle down and start back up next week,” Daboll explained.
New York City is in the midst of an “unprecedented event” as smoke from raging wildfires in Canada envelopes the US’s largest city, Mayor Eric Adams warned on Wednesday, in New York, United States, on June 07, 2023. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The decision to cancel this week’s schedule came after several players expressed concern over the issue. And after meeting with Ronnie Barnes, the head athletic trainer and senior vice president of medical services, Daboll pulled the plug.
“They suggested we hold off until next week,” Daboll insisted. “I’m going to listen to the people with a bunch of initials next to their degree.”
After some player meetings, both the rookies and the veteran players left for the week.
“It was important to the players, you guys can see it, how it looks in here. To me, it’s not worth it,” Daboll added. “I’ve never seen anything like this. This is crazy, isn’t it?”
Air quality in the northeast has steadily deteriorated due to the thick smoke wafting southward from wildfires in Nova Scotia.
Times Square and Midtown Manhattan buildings are shrouded in smoke from Canadian wildfires Wednesday afternoon. Canadian wildfires have created dangerous air quality conditions in New York City as an orange sun and smoggy cloud layer descended on the Big Apple. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images)
The Associated Press reports the weather system that’s driving what’s now known colloquially as the great Canadian-American smoke out — a low-pressure system over Maine and Nova Scotia — “will probably be hanging around at least for the next few days,” U.S. National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Ramsey said.
“Conditions are likely to remain unhealthy, at least until the wind direction changes or the fires get put out,” Ramsey said. “Since the fires are raging — they’re really large — they’re probably going to continue for weeks. But it’s really just going be all about the wind shift.”
Air quality concerns also forced the cancelation of the Yankees-White Sox game Wednesday night.
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