Giants kicker Graham Gano says fans have told him to kill himself

The vitriol that Graham Gano has faced in the last three years has gone way beyond the “You suck!” he expects to hear after missing a field goal

In jeopardy of missing his 21st game over the last three seasons for the Giants due to various injuries, Gano opened up Thursday about death threats that he has experienced on social media messages and in-person confrontations.

“I hear everyone else’s frustration — media, fans,” Gano said. “Shoot, ever since sports betting started I get people telling me to kill myself every week because I’ll hit a kick that loses them money, I’ll miss a kick and it loses them money. The other day somebody told me to get cancer and die.”

The revelation came on a day that the NFL was rocked by the suicide of Cowboys second-year pro Marshawn Kneeland.

“We were talking about that this morning, guys on the team,” said Gano, who is an NFL Players Association players rep. “I hated hearing that news. The biggest thing — it’s not just football, it’s everybody. If you have anybody that is on your mind to reach out to, do it. You never know. It could be the difference.”

Gano (neck) didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday after he missed a 45-yard field goal Sunday against the 49ers in his second game after returning from a four-game absence due to a groin injury.

Many Giants fans are fed up with the 38-year-old Gano’s recurring injuries and leaving the team in a spot where having no kicker hurts the team, but there is a line that can’t be crossed.

“I just want to make the fans happy, help the team win games, and not being able to do that is hard,” Gano said. “People are passionate and a lot of it I understand. I want to do my best. I’m proud to be a Giant. I wish there was something I could do to not be hurt. I want people to know I care, I want to play, I want to be the best I can, I want to make every kick. I wouldn’t be playing this long if I didn’t care about it.”