EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell would not confirm or deny accusations made by one of his former players, Bryan Kehl, that he coaches his players to fake injuries.
"I can't say I've ever done that and I can't say that I haven't done that," Fewell said Thursday. "I know that the young man (Giants safety Deon Grant) was down and I was glad that he got up, and he was able to play. If the guy can't play to his full potential and he was hurt, then he was hurt. But I can't say I did and I can't say I've never done that. So I'm not gonna go back and forth about it."
Kehl, who now plays for the St. Louis Rams, made his accusations to 101sports.com, the website for the ESPN Radio Affiliate in St. Louis.
"Perry Fewell coaches that," Kehl said. "He's their DC (defensive coordinator). He coaches that."
Asked if he thought Kehl's accusations were an attack on his integrity, Fewell replied, "I'm not gonna respond."
Grant, one of the players accused of faking, called his former teammate a liar.
"That's a lie. That's a lie," Grant said after Giants practice on Thursday. "Perry never said that a day in his meetings since I've been here. And Kehl's been here as long as I have with Perry Fewell."
Asked why Kehl would say something like that, Grant replied, "Because I guess he's not here no more. He feels like they did him wrong."
Kehl played one game for the Giants last season -- Fewell's first with the team -- before being waived and signing with the Rams.
The Giants were accused by the Rams of feigning injuries during the first quarter of Monday night's 28-16 New York win to slow down the St. Louis offense.
Grant and Jacquian Williams both fell down in apparent pain with the Rams -- who were using an up-tempo, no-huddle offense -- driving and at the Giants' 7-yard line. Grant vehemently denied any wrongdoing on Wednesday, saying he was too tough to pull a stunt like that.
Grant's comments came as the NFL sent a memo Wednesday to all 32 teams warning of fines, suspensions and loss of draft picks if the league determines players faked injuries during a game.
"And even if (Fewell did), that was a coward move to me," Grant said of Kehl. "Even if that's something I was coached and I go somewhere else, I'm not selling out the guys that I went to war with. That's just not me. So that's a coward move if that was the case, and he still said something about it, but it's even worse when he lies. A grown man lying on another grown man, that's terrible."
The radio station 101sports.com reached out to the NFL to ask if the league would investigate the Giants in light of Kehl's comments.
League spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an email that the Rams "have not made a formal complaint requesting an investigation. In addition, there is no basis for taking action against the Giants."
He then asked: "Did you see Deon Grant's comments?"
When pressed by the radio station, Aiello concluded: "The memo we sent to the clubs speaks for itself. We are not commenting further on last Monday night's game."
Faking injuries isn't a new thing.
"I've been places where it has been (taught)," said Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, a member of the players' union executive committee. "They have a name for it and I've been places where it's been pre-called. I've been places where it's one player who has been designated. Maybe I'm getting everyone in trouble, but I'm just being honest."
Grant said that Kehl is not being honest and he's lost "a lot of respect" for him.
"I just want him to know that. I lost a lot of respect for him because he lied," Grant said. "Perry Fewell never coached that a day in his life."
Mike Mazzeo is a frequent contributor to ESPNNewYork.com.