Abdul Carter, the third overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, joins a historic line of pass-rushers in New York. The Penn State product has a chance to go down as the next great Giants defensive end alongside Michael Strahan and Lawrence Taylor. But Carter appeared to take that lineage a little too seriously this month when he reportedly made a play to wear Taylor’s No. 56—a number retired by the franchise.
Carter was turned down by Taylor and, later, legendary quarterback Phil Simms. That all came as Carter gets set to make his debut at MetLife Stadium this fall.
Many around the NFL were turned off by Carter’s request, but Monday on The Herd, FS1’s Colin Cowherd absolutely shredded the 21-year-old for misreading the room, comparing it to a Yankees’ prospect asking for Derek Jeter’s number.
“That is so ridiculous. That is like going to the Yankees and saying, ‘Can I wear No. 2?'” Cowherd said. “You don’t ask for Lawrence Taylor’s jersey.”
Over the course of nearly five minutes, Cowherd unleashed a classic rant bashing Carter.
“How about you learn to carry a veteran’s bag before you ask for his jersey?” Cowherd chortled. “This screams of entitlement, it screams for a lack of self-awareness. Those jerseys are re-ti-red.”
Cowherd explained that Taylor is not just someone who happened to be great at football and play for the Giants. He is one of the greatest football players of all time. And he is royalty in New York, a two-time Super Bowl champion and three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
In typical Cowherd fashion, he effortlessly turned his take on Carter into a larger philosophy on life.
“The other thing that drives me nuts is that nothing was great until you arrived,” Cowherd added. “There’s a reason they built statues for people and retired jerseys.
“Young people, row your own boat, create your own legacy. Don’t be asking for retired guys’ jerseys … just asking is a lack of self-awareness.”
From backward hats to professional wrestling to overseas baseball players, Cowherd approaches every topic with a very strong perspective. It’s why he’s incredibly polarizing. Every so often, it leads to a gem of a take like this one.
Even if you give Carter more slack than Cowherd, you can’t watch the full segment and not come away seeing Cowherd’s side more than you did before.