New York Giants cornerback Rico Payton appeared to try and stamp on the head of Las Vegas Raiders rival Chigozie Anuseim in an vicious brawl during Sunday’s game in Sin City.
The footage was caught on camera by a fan who inadvertently had a front row seat for the scrap, which saw multiple Giants players rush over to try and break things up.
Payton shoved Anuseim into a water cooler on the sideline by the Giants’ bench before the Raiders man tackled him to the ground in response.
Both men then wrestled on the ground and appeared to throw fists but Payton really appeared to see red in the fan video footage that later circulated on social media.
Payton’s Giants teammates raced across to intervene and some got between the two while another grabbed Payton and hauled him up to his feet.
But just before Payton was led away, he very clearly stamped down towards the helmet of Anuseim, who was still lying on the ground amid the melee.
Giants cornerback Rico Payton appeared to try and stamp on Chigozie Anuseim’s head
A huge brawl broke out on the Giants sideline when Payton and Anuseim started fighting
The Giants went on to win the game in Vegas 34-10, snapping a nine-game losing streak but in the process, relinquishing all their realistic grip on the first pick of the 2026 Draft.
The Raiders are 2-14 with one game left, against Kansas City Chiefs, to round out the regular season. They have now lost 10 games in a row.
The Giants, now 3-13, are second to the Raiders in the Draft order going into the final weekend of the regular season, where they will play Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium.
After the Giants loss, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll revealed starting quarterback Geno Smith sustained a high ankle sprain and will miss the last game of the season.
‘That’s pretty hard to bounce back from,’ Carroll said. ‘That might knock him out of next week, we’ll have to wait and see.’
Smith is under contract through to the 2027 season with the Raiders, so will likely be on the roster next year even if they take a quarterback with the first pick, which they surely will if it all works out from here.
Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, from the Indiana Hoosiers, is the favorite to be taken first by whoever cements their position in having first pick.
