Report Says Simms Has Fracture, Not Sprain

The injury to Phil Simms’ right foot includes a slight fracture in one of the bones.

The New York Giants’ diagnosis was a severely sprained foot, but several sources, including players and club officials wishing to remain anonymous, confirmed that the quarterback has a fracture.

Simms, injured against the Buffalo Bills Dec. 15, was placed on injured reserve and won’t be eligible to return until at least the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 20, should the Giants get that far. Simms was placed in a knee-length cast last week and won’t have the cast removed for another two weeks. Any further prognosis on his return won’t be known until then.

One Giants’ assistant coach wasn’t optimistic. “He can’t put any weight on his foot now,” the coach said Wednesday. “I don’t know how he’s going to be able to play in three weeks.”

When asked Wednesday if he was hopeful Simms might be ready in three weeks, Bill Parcells said: “Three weeks isn’t going to be.” Then he stopped and said: “I mean I have no further report at all. There’s not going to be any report until they take the cast off.”

Last season, the Giants would not confirm Lawrence Taylor suffered a fracture near his right ankle, nor did they confirm that Jumbo Elliott had a hairline fracture in his left leg this season.