Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka called co-owner John Mara to the center of the Giants locker room after they defeated the Cowboys 34-17 in the season finale.

Kafka was handing out game balls when he started talking about resilience and asked Mara to come up to receive the final one.

Mara had revealed in late September that he had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment, and ahead of Sunday’s game, the Giants had talked about getting a win for the team owner in the final game of the season.

That set the stage for an emotional moment inside the team’s locker room as Kafka handed Mara a game ball.

“You talk about resiliency, you talk about toughness and this is a guy,” Kafka said before calling Mara to the center of the room.

“I appreciate the support through top to bottom, Kafka said in the clip shared by the Giants on social media. “Appreciate the support. Appreciate you trusting me.”

The moment meant a lot to Mara, who received a loud ovation from the players.

“I’m going to be able to jog to my treatments tomorrow,” Mara said. “Thank you, congrats man.”

 
Giants co-owner John Mara gets a game ball from interim coach Mike Kafka on Sunday.

Kafka reiterated his points about toughness and resiliency when he spoke with reporters after the game and spoke about the moment he gave the game ball to the Giants co-owner.

“Talk about toughness and resiliency, he’s the poster child for that,” Kafka said. ​”Coming up and still continuing to lead our organization, very happy and very proud and very fortunate to work for a man like that.”

Because of his treatments, Mara has not been able to be around the Giants as much as he has been in the past and he was not able to travel to road games.

The Giants finished the 2025 season with a pair of wins to post a 4-13 record and the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft