Joe Theismann told Fox News Digital he does not expect the Jaxson Dart-Abdul Carter dispute over Donald Trump to affect the Giants locker room.
Joe Theismann does not expect the public back-and-forth involving New York Giants teammates Jaxson Dart and Abdul Carter over Dart’s appearance with President Donald Trump to carry into the team’s locker room.
The Super Bowl champion and former NFL quarterback told Fox News Digital that players often hold different views, but those differences typically give way to the shared demands of football. His comments came after Dart introduced Trump before a speech in Suffern, New York, and Carter objected on social media.
“A locker room is like a giant family,” Theismann said. “It’s not 53 guys, it’s 80 guys because you’ve got practice squad people, you’ve got people in and out. So, everybody has a lot of different opinions. I think when it comes to football, guys focus on football.”
Dart, 23, led a “Go Big Blue” chant before bringing Trump onto the stage, according to the captured account. He then introduced Trump as the “45th and 47th president of the United States,” and the two shook hands before Dart left the stage.
Theismann said he did not believe the episode would have any lasting effect on the Giants, even as politics and sports increasingly overlap in public conversation. He also criticized the role of social media in amplifying disputes around athletes.
“Probably the worst thing that’s happened to athletics to a degree is social media,” Theismann said. “We’ve seen a lot of people just get cooked by it. I think everybody’s entitled to their own opinion, but I don’t see it affecting a locker room.”
Theismann, who played 12 NFL seasons with Washington, said political conversations were not part of his locker room experience. He recalled players talking about family, football and upcoming opponents, describing the locker room as a place that could feel separate from Washington’s political environment.
Whether the issue resurfaces around the Giants will depend less on online reaction than on how Dart and Carter handle it inside the team setting. For now, the only public sign from either player after the initial criticism was Carter’s deleted message saying the two had spoken.
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