Boomer Esiason is not one to back down from a fight, and he's proving that this week. The former NFL quarterback and current WFAN host has come under fire for his pointed criticism of New York Giants pass rusher Abdul Carter, but instead of apologizing, he's standing firm.
During Tuesday's edition of "Boomer & Gio," Esiason took aim at Carter for publicly calling out teammate Jaxson Dart for introducing President Donald Trump at a rally. Esiason didn't mince words, calling Carter's social media post "ridiculous" and questioning his maturity. "This was a real error on the part of Abdul Carter. Not on the part of Jaxson Dart," Esiason said. "Jaxson Dart was asked to do something. To introduce the President of the United States. How many people get an opportunity to do something like that?"
Esiason went on to say that Carter's online rant was childish, adding, "To put this out like a child on social media is ridiculous. And then when I heard, 'Yeah, we spoke man to man.' Yeah, there was only one man on that call, and that was Jaxson Dart." That comment didn't sit well with many, including Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens, who called Esiason a "bonehead" on social media. Owens fired back: "So him being late to meetings make him not a man. Stop! Everyone has been late. So what?!!"
The backlash has been swift, but Esiason isn't backing down. On Wednesday's show, he doubled down on his stance, refusing to apologize to Carter or anyone offended by his remarks. "Jaxson Dart wasn't political at all, but I guess people would say that since he was there, he was supporting the president, which is fine. He's allowed to do that. It's amazing how people just take what you say. And basically, I was pretty harsh on Abdul Carter for a reason," Esiason said.
He went on to detail what he sees as Carter's larger issues with the Giants organization. "If you are around here and you're following the Giants and you saw what Mike Kafka ended up having to do to make an example out of Abdul Carter with the way that he was acting — that's part of his story as the New York Giants, which was completely underwhelming," Esiason explained. He also touched on Carter's odd requests for jersey numbers, calling him "completely clueless" about what he was asking for when he first arrived.
Esiason's advice to Carter was simple: "Just play football, man. Be your best self, be the guy that everybody needs you to be, and be that game wrecker that you were supposedly at Penn State, and everybody was excited about having you here, and then you pull what you pulled last year on the field and in the locker room, and basically, one of the reasons why a guy lost his job."
This isn't the first time Esiason has clashed with a former player over off-field drama. He's been known for his strong opinions, and this latest spat echoes the recent Becky Hammon refusal to apologize over her own controversial comments. But for Esiason, this is about more than just one social media post — it's about accountability and maturity in the NFL.
Meanwhile, Carter has already said that he and Dart have resolved their disagreement, but Esiason isn't buying it. He questioned why Carter would even engage in such a public feud when he should be focused on his game. "So yeah, why would you decide to embroil yourself into a social media fight when you didn't have to do that," Esiason said.
The back-and-forth has drawn in other NFL voices as well. Boomer vs. Bettis: Giants QB Jaxson Dart's Trump rally stance splits NFL legends highlights how divisive this issue has become, with legends like Jerome Bettis weighing in on the other side. And Terrell Owens blasts Boomer Esiason as 'bonehead' shows that even Hall of Famers are taking sides.
Whether Carter will ever respond directly to Esiason remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: Esiason isn't going anywhere, and he's not apologizing for anything he said.
