His stocky stature and rumbling running style makes "Hynocerous" the perfect on-field nick name for Giants fullback Henry Hynoski. But off the field, his goofy smile, big brown eyes and trusting ways make him more lab puppy than rhino.
Help Henry Hynoski get back at Giants pranksters
The Giants fullback is an easy target for his teammates’ practical jokes. He’s looking for ideas on how to get back at them.
Jim O’Connor-USA TODAY Sports
It also makes him the perfect target for a few laughs.
"We're always scheming to get Henry," Mark Herzlich told me recently, of his and Spencer Paysinger's pranks on Hynoski. "He's gullible. He believes you."
Hynoski admits that he is, in fact, easily taken in.
“Yeah, a little bit, I guess. I don’t care,” said Hynoski, when I asked if he thinks he’s gullible. “They’ve been my great friends since I first got in this league. They were the first friends I had. I give it back to them, too. So don’t let them fool you.”
Hynoski had some trouble pinpointing the most recent prank by Herzlich and Paysinger, “my memory isn’t always that great.” He adds that sometimes other teammates join the fun.
"Peyton Hillis told me they had moved him over to linebacker the other day," laughed Hynoski. "And I was thinking to myself, ‘Well, it could happen, because he could play linebacker. He made it seem believable. And then later on he tells me he was just kidding and I feel like and idiot."
They key, explains Herzlich, is to make the story ridiculous, but just inside the realm of possibility.
“We were going to send out a team email saying that Henry’s car got towed while we were traveling,” said Herzlich. “But we thought it might not be a good idea to send it to everyone on the team, and he wouldn’t have believed it if it came from us.”
Paysinger, Herzlich and Hynoski, whose lockers sit side-by-side-by-side, came into the league as rookies together, and they consider themselves brothers. But they all come from different backgrounds, a fact Hynoski thinks contributes to his place in the prank hierarchy.
“I think it’s because of where I grew up,” he said, of his willingness to always believe his teammates’ tall tales. “I’m a small town country kid. Mark’s from the Philly area, Spencer’s from L.A., so they had a little more street smarts growing up than I did.”
“Everything’s all in good fun,” he continued. “I know there’s never any malicious intent.”
As for retribution, Hynoski says he’s always trying to think of ways to get Herzlich and Paysinger back.
“Do you have any ideas?” he asked.
I think we can probably help him out. To the comments!
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