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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
I want to start with Giants rookie linebacker Abdul Carter,
who evidently has no shame in asking the NFL Legends
for their jersey number. After being drafted by the Giants
third overall, he said he wanted to wear number fifty six,
the retired number of Giants legend LT himself, Lawrence Taylor.
Taylor quickly rejected that request, saying quote, get another number.
(00:24):
End quote. Carter then tweeted, quote the worst thing he
could say was no, my stance don't change. LT is
the goat, nothing but respect. This just gonna make me
work even harder. I love it. End quote. After that rejection,
Carter then moved on to his number at Penn State,
number eleven, retired by the Giants in honor of quarterback
(00:44):
Phil Simms. While Simms said he would have given the oka,
he was ultimately outvoted by members of his family and
rejected Carter's request as well, about which Carter tweeted, quote, Damn,
at this point, I'm gonna be out there with just
my last name on my jersey, no number, JK, JK,
It's all love. Just want to play football. End quote. Actually,
(01:06):
ab Du Carter, you're lying you don't just want to
play football, you want the number that you want. It's
not a crime, but ab Du card because I'm quite
sure you're going to be great, because you're a baller,
and somebody said you were right next to me at
the next game. I didn't even notice you. My man,
my bad, my apologies. Let me say this to you.
(01:30):
I want you to imagine, Abdu Carter, although I totally
believe you when you say it was out of respect,
because why would you want to wear the number of
a scrub? Why would you want to wear the number
of an average player. Of course, you're respecting the individuals
whose numbers you reached out to grab, you know, in
Phil Simms case, to a lesser degree, because that's just
the number you wanre in college. Whereas with LT it
(01:51):
was out of respect for his greatness. With you playing
in that position, I'm quite sure it was out of respect.
But ab dual Carter, respectfully, just imagine that you played
fifteen to twenty years in the National Football League. Imagine
that you recorded over one hundred and thirty two sacks.
Imagine that with the great linebackers in NFL history, the
Dick Dick Butkus's of the world and others. You know,
(02:12):
the Jack Hams, Jack Lambert's of the world and so
many others, the Ray Lewis's of the world, the Ronnie
Lotts of the world. The list goes on and on.
Imagine you yourself have that kind of career spanning fifteen
to twenty years, and the rookie who's never played a
game calls you, after all of those years of greatness
(02:36):
and service which warranted your number being retired and raised
to the rafters of a stadium and lives in the
franchise lore that somebody who's never played the game came
to you and said, can I wear your number? You
(02:59):
sure you will feel about that. You know they respect
you because your number is retired and you earned it.
But you wouldn't feel some kind of way about somebody
who's never played the game asking you for that, asking
you for the right to unretire their number so you
(03:20):
could wear it, and you've never played the game and
you've never proven a damn thing on a professional football field.
I need you to think about it that way, bro,
Get your own number, make your own way, and then
get that number retired, and see how you would feel
(03:41):
if somebody came and asked you to have the number
lowered from the rafters just so they could wear it
when they've never played the game. After it took you
an entire career to earn that number being retired in
your name. That's all I'm saying. I'm sure you meant
no ill will or anything like that. I just think
(04:02):
you need to look at it from a different lens
instead of the lens you're looking at it from. Penn
State ain't the National Football League. As much as we
respect the Big Ten, Penn State is not the National
Football League. Bro, It's just not
I want to start with Giants rookie linebacker Abdul Carter,
who evidently has no shame in asking the NFL Legends
for their jersey number. After being drafted by the Giants
third overall, he said he wanted to wear number fifty six,
the retired number of Giants legend LT himself, Lawrence Taylor.
Taylor quickly rejected that request, saying quote, get another number.
(00:24):
End quote. Carter then tweeted, quote the worst thing he
could say was no, my stance don't change. LT is
the goat, nothing but respect. This just gonna make me
work even harder. I love it. End quote. After that rejection,
Carter then moved on to his number at Penn State,
number eleven, retired by the Giants in honor of quarterback
(00:44):
Phil Simms. While Simms said he would have given the oka,
he was ultimately outvoted by members of his family and
rejected Carter's request as well, about which Carter tweeted, quote, Damn,
at this point, I'm gonna be out there with just
my last name on my jersey, no number, JK, JK,
It's all love. Just want to play football. End quote. Actually,
(01:06):
ab Du Carter, you're lying you don't just want to
play football, you want the number that you want. It's
not a crime, but ab Du card because I'm quite
sure you're going to be great, because you're a baller,
and somebody said you were right next to me at
the next game. I didn't even notice you. My man,
my bad, my apologies. Let me say this to you.
(01:30):
I want you to imagine, Abdu Carter, although I totally
believe you when you say it was out of respect,
because why would you want to wear the number of
a scrub? Why would you want to wear the number
of an average player. Of course, you're respecting the individuals
whose numbers you reached out to grab, you know, in
Phil Simms case, to a lesser degree, because that's just
the number you wanre in college. Whereas with LT it
(01:51):
was out of respect for his greatness. With you playing
in that position, I'm quite sure it was out of respect.
But ab dual Carter, respectfully, just imagine that you played
fifteen to twenty years in the National Football League. Imagine
that you recorded over one hundred and thirty two sacks.
Imagine that with the great linebackers in NFL history, the
Dick Dick Butkus's of the world and others. You know,
(02:12):
the Jack Hams, Jack Lambert's of the world and so
many others, the Ray Lewis's of the world, the Ronnie
Lotts of the world. The list goes on and on.
Imagine you yourself have that kind of career spanning fifteen
to twenty years, and the rookie who's never played a
game calls you, after all of those years of greatness
(02:36):
and service which warranted your number being retired and raised
to the rafters of a stadium and lives in the
franchise lore that somebody who's never played the game came
to you and said, can I wear your number? You
(02:59):
sure you will feel about that. You know they respect
you because your number is retired and you earned it.
But you wouldn't feel some kind of way about somebody
who's never played the game asking you for that, asking
you for the right to unretire their number so you
(03:20):
could wear it, and you've never played the game and
you've never proven a damn thing on a professional football field.
I need you to think about it that way, bro,
Get your own number, make your own way, and then
get that number retired, and see how you would feel
(03:41):
if somebody came and asked you to have the number
lowered from the rafters just so they could wear it
when they've never played the game. After it took you
an entire career to earn that number being retired in
your name. That's all I'm saying. I'm sure you meant
no ill will or anything like that. I just think
(04:02):
you need to look at it from a different lens
instead of the lens you're looking at it from. Penn
State ain't the National Football League. As much as we
respect the Big Ten, Penn State is not the National
Football League. Bro, It's just not
Host
Stephen A. Smith
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