New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh expressed pride in his players for the mature way they handled the controversy surrounding quarterback Jaxson Dart’s introduction of President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Suffern, New York, on May 22.
“We had a good little meeting. It wasn’t real long, but it was to the point, and the players established amongst themselves how they wanted to approach these kinds of things. They’re part of the dialogue in our society. They did a great job. I was proud of them. I was impressed by them. Couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Harbaugh said.
“So we’re in a good place now, and we’re moving forward.”
Dart, the team’s promising second-year quarterback, addressed the crowd with references to “Big Blue Nation” before presenting Trump as the “45th and 47th President of the United States.” Trump, in turn, praised Dart as a future Hall of Famer.
The appearance quickly sparked polarized reactions in the New York market.
Edge rusher Abdul Carter initially questioned the decision on social media but later confirmed after a private conversation with Dart that everything was good between them. Offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor also stated that the locker room had put the drama to rest and was moving forward.
Dart addressed the full team in a meeting to clear the air. Harbaugh highlighted the importance of open dialogue within the group.
“You don’t want to stand up there and just try to dictate some terms as a coach. You want to find out what the players think, how the coaches and players feel about it, and really mainly the players because, as I told them, it’s your team,” he said. “What you want the focus to be on and what you want to be about going forward and the way we’re going to treat one another going forward, is it going to be centered around respect and those kind of things, that’s really up to you guys as a team. You guys need to decide, and then let’s talk about it and let’s decide what we’re going to do.”
The organization viewed the event as an unintended distraction — a “misstep” — but respected Dart’s personal choice.
The Giants are now focused on preparations for the upcoming season.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants’ John Harbaugh ‘proud’ of players for handling of President Trump controversy
Reporting by Dan Benton, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
