The New York Giants faced their first major taste of adversity of the John Harbaugh era this weekend, when quarterback Jaxson Dart introduced President Donald Trump at an event in Suffern, New York, on Friday night.
“What’s up, what’s up, what’s up? Yeah, Big Blue Nation, it’s a pleasure to be here. I got to start this off with a Go Big Blue. I’d love it if y’all would follow with me. Go Big Blue! Go Big Blue! Go Big Blue! Go Big Blue!”
“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.”
The reaction to Dart’s introduction was polarizing to say the least, and even sparked a response from teammates, including Abdul Carter.
In the wake of the public relations nightmare, the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz peeled back the curtain on how the Giants organization handled the ordeal.
How the Giants Would’ve Advised Jaxson Dart
According to Schwartz, the New York Giants were not informed of Dart’s planned appearance at President Trump’s event until about 30 minutes before the 23-year-old quarterback appeared on stage.
“Dart did not come to the Giants for approval after he received the invitation from Trump’s camp. This was on Dart’s personal time and he did not need permission from the Giants, but if he did reach out, he would have been advised to 1) be aware of the ramifications and 2) remember you are representing yourself and not the Giants,” wrote Schwartz.
“This was a misstep by Dart, in the eyes of the Giants. This was not a Giants pep rally. There was no need for him to interject anything about his team. This was not the Giants Town Hall held a few days earlier, where talk of ‘kicking the Cowboys’ ass’ was embraced, even by Harbaugh. There is a time and place for everything.”
Clearly, Dart wasn’t aware just how big an ordeal this would turn out to be for himself, Giants fans, and, of course, his teammates.
John Harbaugh Already Trying to ‘Clean Things Up’
This has clearly been a learning experience for Dart, a young man from the state of Utah who clearly wasn’t prepared for the ramifications it would have on his image as the starting quarterback of the New York Giants.
Luckily, it sounds like the whole thing has turned into a learning experience, and the Giants’ head coach is turning it into a learning experience.
“The Giants completed their first week of organized team activity practices and this is a mess that new head coach John Harbaugh now has on his plate. He has already started trying to clean things up,” continued Schwartz.
“Wasting no time, he has spoken to Dart about this, a source told The Post, with plenty more discussions to follow. Harbaugh will want to listen first and react second. Then Harbaugh and the players will decide how to deal with all this moving forward, using a flashpoint as an opportunity to establish a shared understanding.”
It’s times like these that the Giants are surely blessed to have a head coach like Harbaugh.
Entering his 19th season as an NFL head coach, he knows how to handle just about any situation thrown at him, and there’s no doubt he’s dealing with this behind closed doors with diligence.
Dart will come away from this with a better understanding of his actions off the field, and surely, with the assistance of his head coach.
Giants Believe Trump Ordeal a ‘Misstep’ From Jaxson Dart: Report