‘Bigger than football’: NFL star Abdul Carter explains why he called out teammate over appearance at Trump rally
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The second-year player sent shockwaves through the NFL when he tweeted his reaction to QB Jaxson Dart and Donald Trump together, prompting public backlash from conservative media members.
New York Giants star Abdul Carter was unintentionally met with widespread backlash from conservatives and others after he publicly called out his teammate Jaxson Dart for introducing Donald Trump during the President’s rally in New York earlier this month.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Carter stood by his comments about Dart’s appearance and said he was not seeking an apology from Dart, who reportedly addressed his teammates in the days following the viral moment.
“I don’t want him to say he’s sorry,” Carter said. “Stand on what you believe in, but it can’t be a problem when I stand on what I believe in. That’s all that matters to me. Long as we have that understanding? We’re good.”
Carter, who is entering his second year with the Giants, affirmed that he was not a fan of Trump and that him calling out Dart publicly was something he needed to do in order to make it clear where he stood.
“Some things are bigger than football, and this is one of those things,” Carter said. “Jaxson is one of our leaders. He’s the face of our franchise. He not only represents himself and 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.”
He added, “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, every team meeting. We’re close. We talk. As long as we make sure we’ve got the same goal as a team and our goals align, which they do, then I feel like that’s all that matters.”
Trump told Fox News in an upcoming interview that he isn’t concerned about the backlash Dart may face for supporting him at the rally, because he has more supporters than enemies. The pair had never met until the rally, and during it, Trump made jokes about how good-looking the 23-year-old Giants QB was.
“So, when Jaxson gets harassed a little bit, he’s also loved more,” he said. “Because we have more people than they do.”