Reports: Giants fire 3 equipment staff members

Less than two weeks after reaching a settlement in a sports memorabilia fraud lawsuit, the New York Giants fired three members of the team's equipment staff, multiple media outlets reported.

The Giants dismissed equipment director Joseph Skiba, assistant equip manager Ed Skiba and equipment/locker room manager Ed Wagner Jr., according to ESPN, which first reported the firings.

New York quarterback Eli Manning was accused by three sports memorabilia collectors of providing fraudulent "game-worn" equipment that was sold to fans.

At the center of the dispute were messages from Manning to Joseph Skida -- a defendant in the initial lawsuit -- asking for helmets "that can pass as game used."

Manning, a two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, and the Giants had denied the allegations and characterized the suit as "inflammatory and baseless" in court filings.

The civil suit, in which Skiba was not liable, was settled on May 14. The three collectors -- Eric Inselberg, Michael Jakab and Sean Godown -- had sought triple the amount of their alleged losses (which totaled less than $20,000) for purchasing two helmets that were billed as worn by Manning.

Manning will not face disciplinary action from the league, which ruled it was not a personal conduct issue.