One day after New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter questioned quarterback Jaxson Dart, who introduced President Donald Trump at a rally in New York, the conversation already seems to have lost the plot.
And that’s saying something considering New York sports radio hosts haven’t even had a chance to chime in yet.
“Thought this sh*t was AI, what we doing man,” Carter wrote in a post on X over video of Dart introducing Trump at a rally at Rockland Community College in Suffern, N.Y.
Dart and Carter were both first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft and are considered cornerstones of the storied franchise’s current rebuild under first-year head coach John Harbaugh.
Naturally, the situation was begging to become a lightning rod for controversy even before Carter commented. Trump is historically unpopular and has been closely linked to child sex offender and pedophile sex-ring operator Jeffrey Epstein. Having the starting quarterback of an NFL franchise get on stage with him was bound to be front-page news and garner intense scrutiny. Especially considering the longstanding “stick to sports” mantra parroted for years by the same people likely defending this appearance.
Carter’s reaction, however, created an entirely different strain of commentary. One around the “sanctity” of the NFL locker room and putting political differences aside for the common goal of winning.
While there is merit to that line of conversation, Trump’s particular history of rhetoric, social media activity, and policies is extreme by any reasonable standard, opening the door for criticism for those who align themselves with him.
All of which is to say that social media conversations involving media members have been a sh*tshow all day long on Saturday.
On one side were those who felt Carter needed to be more respectful of a teammate’s political beliefs, while others wondered why Carter was getting chided on those grounds but not Dart.
The incident did jumpstart conversations about the Giants’ locker room under new coach Harbaugh and how this will be a test of the new culture he’s hoping to instill.
While it appears that Carter and Dart have talked it out, don’t expect this conversation to end anytime soon, especially once WFAN and ESPN New York get back from Memorial Day Weekend…
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.