Benjamin rips Joe Judge, calls tryout with Giants a 'hoax'

Kelvin Benjamin had some not-so-fond things to say about his experience with the New York Giants after being cut on the first day of training camp Wednesday.

After a tryout in May, the 30-year-old former first-round pick signed with the Giants. He was to convert from receiver to tight end for the first time in his career.

But as Benjamin ran onto the field for warmups Wednesday, he was met by head coach Joe Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman and dismissed moments later.

Benjamin pointed his ire not at Gettleman - the man who drafted him with the Carolina Panthers in 2014 - but at Judge, who he accused of sabotage.

"I just felt like from Day 1, once I stepped onto the field, once I put on the colors, he never liked me. He didn't even want me there," Benjamin told Zack Rosenblatt of NJ.com.

He added: "I don't want to bash anyone, but I just felt like Joe has had it out to get me since I walked into that team building. It never felt right. The guy never even had a conversation with me until the day they signed me."

Benjamin says he weighed 265 pounds at the end of minicamp in June and was instructed to come to training camp at 251 pounds. He arrived weighing 268 pounds, but he claims he put on muscle.

Though Benjamin says he passed a conditioning test, Judge told him as he ran out to practice that he'd be fined for being overweight. The conversation dissolved from there.

"To be honest, man, I just felt like it was all a hoax," Benjamin said. "I felt like they didn't give me a chance. I finished the conditioning. I finished all of that. I did what I was supposed to do. Everybody in the building was telling me I looked great. They never wanted the narrative to be good about me."

Benjamin, who hasn't appeared in a game since 2018, doesn't plan to pursue any more NFL opportunities.