Bengals OT Hart denies quitting on Giants

Cincinnati Bengals right tackle Bobby Hart cited a nagging ankle injury as the reason he did not play in the New York Giants' season finale.

Hart came under fire for reportedly telling the Giants' coaches that he would not play in the team's Week 17 clash against the Washington Redskins. New Giants general manager Dave Gettleman placed Hart on waivers prior to the contest, with the latter being officially released after Super Bowl LII.

"It's frustrating seeing all those things about you that you know are not true," Hart said, via the Bengals website.

"The main thing I took from (Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis) is he's not just blowing smoke. You can just feel the genuine aspect coming from him. When you get labelled those things, you kind of start to develop a wall, a shield where you block people out and don't let people in. But when you talk to him and you feel how genuine he is, that wall just comes down. You just listen to him and you can feel he cares."

Hart, who signed with the Bengals on Wednesday, played in 34 games with 21 starts for the Giants during his three-year NFL career. He was a seventh-round draft pick out of Florida State in 2015.

"Bobby is a young player with three years of NFL experience, and he has very good upside and tools," Lewis said in statement. "We are excited to add him to the team as we improve our offensive line. The offensive line is a focus area for us, and this is one of various steps we are taking to improve our performance."

Hart began the 2017 season as the Giants' starting right tackle. He lost his starting job after two games, but regained a starting spot late in the season.

The Bengals used two 2015 draft choices -- Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher -- as their starting tackles to begin the 2017 season.