New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins is at the center of a major crimes investigation after a corpse was reportedly found in his New Jersey home on Tuesday.
Jenkins was away in Florida when the body was discovered, according to a report by TMZ. It was found in his basement by a house worker, sources said, who promptly called law enforcement. The local Major Crimes Unit is now attempting to identify the body and understand how it ended up in the player’s home.
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Sources said that Jenkins had been made aware of the investigation. Neither he nor his representatives have yet responded to the shocking news.
More updates came later from ESPN reporter Dianna Russini, who learned that Jenkins’ property is in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Sources told her that the New York Giants had officially been notified of the body.
Police sources have confirmed a body has been discovered on the property of Giants Janoris Jenkins in Fair Lawn, NJ. Jenkins is not in the state and has been in Florida since camp broke. He is aware as are the New York Giants. Told this is a homicide investigation
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) June 26, 2018
Perhaps most surprisingly of all, Jenkins had family members staying in the home while he was away. There is no official word on whether he or they knew about the corpse in the basement. Jenkins’ brother may have suddenly ditched plans to visit the cornerback in Florida.
I’ve also learned Janoris Jenkins had family staying at that home…he had plans to return to New Jersey today to deal with this situation but he may stay in Florida. #Giants
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) June 26, 2018
“Also last night in NJ, a man claiming to be Janoris Jenkins’ brother was on a Jet Blue flight to Fort Lauderdale from Newark to allegedly meet up with Janoris,” she wrote. “The man caused delays because he was too scared to fly according to witnesses I spoke to. He got off the plane.”
Also last night in NJ, a man claiming to be Janoris Jenkins’ brother was on a Jet Blue flight to Fort Lauderdale from Newark to allegedly meet up with Janoris. The man caused delays because he was too scared to fly according to witnesses I spoke to. He got off the plane #giants
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) June 26, 2018
Jenkins was reportedly planning to come home to New Jersey on Tuesday, but he is now considering staying in Florida as the situation develops.
This is not Jenkins’ first brush with authorities, according to a report by 247 Sports. The player was dismissed from the University of Florida as a young man after he was caught in possession of marijuana. He later enrolled in the University of North Alabama to finish out his education before he entered the NFL draft.
Jenkins joined the New York Giants in 2016, and almost immediately became a figure of controversy. He has been linked to the team’s defensive failures and locker room drama. In 2017, he was indefinitely suspended by then-head coach Ben McAdoo, for an unspecified violation of the team’s rules.
Jenkins only served one game of that suspension before he was reinstated. He performed objectively well last season, though as the Giants racked up losses, fans and commentators questioned how much effort he was really putting in. In November, he suffered a catastrophic ankle injury that put him out of commission for the rest of the season.
