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He took some heat for not being available to answer questions after the New York Giants were beaten 49-17 by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10, but Dexter Lawrence II dubbed the criticism “ridiculous.”
The All-Pro defensive tackle spoke out in a video message recorded on Monday, November 13, less than 24 hours after his team’s humbling defeat at AT&T Stadium.
Lawrence clarified that he “wanted to go see my family, because it’s my birthday,” per SNY.tv’s Giants Videos. The 26-year-old said his absence from the media pool “had nothing to do with losing to Dallas, nothing to do with frustration, any of that. That’s ridiculous for someone to be sensitive because I want to go see my family.”
The player’s message was related to critical posts on ‘X’ by NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton.
Those posts called on Lawrence to “understand why declining comment after a game like this (and a time like this for #NYGiants) is not the right road to go down.”
Lawrence has answered back by reiterating he’s “available to you guys everyday.”
While the lineman assured reporters he’ll “answer your questions as best as I can” ahead of Monday’s media availability, Stapleton felt Lawrence could have said the same things on Sunday.
Either way, this mini standoff has quickly developed into yet another sideshow plot the Giants could do without during this disappointing season.
Sideshows Becoming Too Frequent for Giants
Issues away from the field are becoming more of a story for these Giants than their problems between the hashmarks. The litany of heated sideline conversations between head coach Brian Daboll, his staff and disgruntled players noticed against the Cowboys was relayed by Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano.
More drama tends to follow losing teams, but it’s not insignificant how the noise was turned way down while the Giants put together a surprising winning season in 2022. Meanwhile, this campaign has been defined more by dysfunction.
From Daboll breaking equipment in frustration at another mistake from quarterback Daniel Jones, to safety Xavier McKinney and defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale playing out a behind-closed-doors conversation in public. There’s even been room for speculation about whether Daboll took play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.
Lawrence being caught up in the same kind of speculation is ironic since he’s been one of the few bright spots on a dismal team.
Dexter Lawrence Still a Force on the Field
He’s not hitting the All-Pro levels of last season, but Lawrence is still proving a force on the field this year. He logged 7.5 sacks and 36 pressures a year ago, but Lawrence’s numbers are down to three sacks and 17 pressures, per Pro Football Reference.
More important than his numbers, Lawrence is playing with the kind of effort the Giants need to see more of across a 2-8 roster. A good example came on this “hustle” play against the Cowboys, highlighted by Nick Falato of SB Nation’s Big Blue View.
Lawrence is striving to keep his performance levels high, even after the Giants traded his fellow defensive tackle Leonard Williams to the Seattle Seahawks. Williams no longer being around means teams can pay greater attention to No. 97.
Facing more double and even triple teams each week is bound to tax Lawrence and leave him out of words, especially following a blowout defeat. Yet, a couple of boiler-plate comments to the press in Dallas would have prevented a minor, albeit annoying situation from becoming much more.
The Giants have had too many distracting sideshows to deal with already.
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