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Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter on Friday stood by his public criticism of quarterback Jaxson Dart, a week after Dart introduced President Donald Trump at a rally.
After Dart’s appearance, Carter tweeted his frustrations about Dart aligning with Trump. That same day, Carter also tweeted that he spoke with Dart, noting they smoothed things over.
After Friday’s organized team activities practice, Carter spoke for the first time publicly about the incident.
“First off, I want to say that some things are bigger than football,” Carter said. “And this is one of those things. Jaxson is one of our leaders. He’s the face of our franchise. He not only represents himself in what he does — but he represents all of us. And that goes for anybody who wears a Giants uniform.
“But if he chooses to align himself with a man like President Trump, it’s my responsibility — based on what I believe and what I stand on — to not only show my teammates that I’m against that, but to show the world.
“That doesn’t mean that we have to spread hate. It doesn’t mean that me and Jaxson hate each other or we have beef. I sit next to Jaxson every day in every team meeting. We’re close. We talk. As long as we make sure we’ve got the same goals as a team and our goals align, which they do, then I feel like that’s all that matters. I just want to move past this.”
Carter said that when he spoke to Dart, the quarterback did not apologize for introducing Trump.
“No,” Carter said. “I don’t want him to say he’s sorry. Stand on what you believe in. But it can’t be a problem when I stand on what I believe in. And that’s all that matters to me. As long as we have that understanding, it’s all good.”
Dart on Friday addressed reporters before Carter. As Dart left the podium and Carter approached, the two players — both 2025 first-round picks who are critically important to the Giants’ success — shared a hug.
After Carter finished speaking, Dart — who had waited for him near a door to the Giants’ training facility — embraced Carter again.
Carter’s first tweet Saturday about Dart introducing Trump read: “Thought this s--- was AI, what we doing man.”
He later followed up with this: “Me & JD6 are good! We spoke earlier as Men. Yall can keep yall narratives.”
The Giants on Tuesday held a team meeting at which Dart — and veteran players — spoke about this controversy.
Carter was not at the meeting because of family obligations connected with Eid al-Adha, an important Muslim holiday. But after Carter spoke Saturday with Dart, Carter discussed this situation with other teammates this week when he returned to East Rutherford.
“Everybody on the team are grown men,” he said. “We have conversations. We talk about it, and we move on from it. I feel like everybody heard me and understands. I’ve had one-on-one conversations with my teammates, talking about our views and how I view certain things.”
When Carter spoke with Dart, did he come away with the impression that Dart fully understood and respected his viewpoints?
“I know Jaxson is a good dude,” Carter said. “I know what he represents, and I know that our goals align as a team. Just because we have a disagreement on something doesn’t mean that there is something more than that. It’s just a disagreement. And we can talk about it as men, which we did, and move forward from it.”
It’s not difficult to grasp one of the likely reasons why Carter isn’t a Trump fan. Carter has posted proudly on social media about his Islamic faith. In 2015, before Trump became president the first time, he called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”
MORE GIANTS COVERAGE
- Here’s what John Harbaugh thinks about Giants’ Trump controversy
- Giants’ Jaxson Dart explains why he introduced ‘respected’ Trump at rally
- Giants fear they lost another player to season-ending offseason injury
- Mike Francesa has a warning for Giants’ Jaxson Dart: ‘You haven’t played enough games’
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