Greene: Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart gets penalty flag for supporting President Trump
· Yahoo Sports
This much we know about Jaxson Dart: If the Giants win the Super Bowl this season, he’s going to the White House.
That much became clear on Friday after the Giants quarterback made a surprise appearance to introduce President Trump at a Rockland County event to campaign for Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who is running for reelection.
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“What’s up, what’s up, what’s up. Look, Big Blue Nation it’s a pleasure to be here,” Dart said to the crowd in Suffern, N.Y., as he introduced the President. “What an honor, what a privilege it is to be here.
“And without further ado, I’m grateful, I’m honored, I’m pleasured to introduce the 45th and 47th president of the United States of America: President Donald J. Trump.”
Dart said nothing else politically that day. He didn’t need to. And the backlash was faster than Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill after a catch-and-run.
Dart even earned his own hashtag on social media: #NotMyQB.
It was like “NotMyPresident, but not as consequential.
Even so, critics treated Dart like he had thrown four interceptions.
Against the New York Jets.
Former New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan took a subtle shot at the Giants signal caller, reminding his social media followers that Dart went to Ole Miss.
Dart fans better hope his offensive line doesn’t miss any blocks this season.
But the darts at Dart are not only coming from fans and players from opposing teams. They’re coming from inside his own locker room, too.
Giants linebacker Abdul Carter didn’t waste any time sacking his own quarterback.
“Thought this s—t was AI,” Carter tweeted, reposting the campaign clip. “What we doing, man?”
To be fair, Dart isn’t the first NFL player to huddle up with Trump.
The list of Trump supporters includes Hall of Famer Herschel Walker, 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and Giants legend Lawrence Taylor.
Last year former Giants and current Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley drew backlash for golfing with Trump at the President’s Bedminster, N.J., estate.
But Barkley didn’t publicly voice any support for Trump or his policies.
“Some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT,” Barkley posted online at the time. “Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump ! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have an amaz day.”
Dart hasn’t previously expressed support for Trump, but he did speak out against the murder last year of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, saying Kirk did “great things for our country.”
As for Trump, the President reciprocated the support by calling Dart a future Hall of Famer.
The jury is still out on that one.
And therein lies the “problem,” if you want to call it that.
Dart is free to vote for and support any candidate he chooses, and his teammates have no right to try to silence him.
But unlike Barkley and Taylor, who have Super Bowl wins on their résumés, Dart hasn’t won anything more than four games on a bad team during his rookie season.
The last thing the Giants and their new savior coach John Harbaugh need is a divided locker room.
Dart is still just a few months removed from being a rookie, but he had to know he’d get a few penalty flags for supporting Trump so publicly.
Dart also has to know that there’s only one way out of this mess. He has to win. He has to win big, and he has to win often.
There is, of course, a bright side to all of this. At least it wasn’t Jalen Brunson.