While they understand the public's concern over what might be perceived as an apparent hazing incident involving Prince Amukamara, several New York Giants insist that throwing the second-year cornerback into a tub of ice water was a football tradition and not bullying. Amukamara and Jason Pierre-Paul, the Pro Bowl defensive end who threw him into the metal ice tub, maintained Monday that they are friends and there was nothing personal involved. Most players on the Super Bowl champions seemed more concerned that punter Steve Weatherford actually posted the video, and that it might give youngsters the idea that bullying and hazing are OK. "First of all, absolutely none of us condone bullying," defensive captain Justin Tuck said. "We've heard that. So just go ahead and put it out there. None of us condone bullying. And you don't want to put anybody in a situation where they can get hurt. With that said, we just got to do a better job of being conscious of how that looks and how people can perceive it." While he denied being embarrassed by the videotape, Pierre-Paul indicated his days of throwing players into tubs might be over. "I feel like me and Prince, we're cool," said the 23-year-old Pierre-Paul, who had a career-best 16½ sacks last season. "All the guys around here are cool. We are all like family to each other. It is something that we were having fun and games and the media took out of proportion." Source: Sporting News
