Giants OL Evan Neal apologizes after rant criticizing fans as 'fair-weather,' 'sheep'
The New York Giants had a very forgettable game in their 24-3 loss Monday to the Seattle Seahawks, but few garnered more criticism from fans and analysts than offensive lineman Evan Neal.
Neal, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, missed several blocks as the Seahawks sacked quarterback Daniel Jones 10 times, and even got attention on social media for one play in which he missed his block so badly that he ended up blocking teammate Darren Waller instead.
But it was his comments Wednesday in an interview with NJ.com that really got fans and local media enraged.
"Why would a lion concern himself with the opinion of a sheep?" Neal told the news outlet. "The person that's commenting on my performance, what does he do? Flip hot dogs and hamburgers somewhere?"
Neal had been asked about a seemingly sarcastic gesture he made to booing Giants fans near the end of New York's blowout loss, which he said was encouraging them to "boo louder."
"That just further shows that people are fair-weather," Neal said. "A lot of fans are bandwagoners. I mean, I get it. They want to see us perform well. And I respect all of that. But no one wants us to perform well more than we do.
"And how can you say you're really a fan when we're out there battling our asses off — and the game wasn't going well — but the best you can do is boo your home team? So how much of a fan are you, really?"
Neal later apologized for his comments amid backlash after NJ.com published them.
Still, Neal's comments brought a fresh wave of criticism upon him, including from Craig Carton, longtime New York sports radio host and current host of "The Carton Show" on FS1.
"Because you're pro athlete doesn't make you better than the fan base," Carton said Thursday. "Attacking the fan base never wins. It's an old cliche for us here in New York — the fans are undefeated, we've never lost the game. You can't beat the mob."
Carton also ripped Neal for apologizing via a note on social media instead of verbally.
"Everyone can accept the fact that you're human, and you get frustrated and out of frustration," Carton said. "There are times we all say stupid things. If you say it, you got to apologize with your mouth."
Carton believed that Neal also ruined his standing in Giants' fans eyes not only by criticizing those in working-class jobs, but also because his poor play has granted him no extra grace from fans that better players may have had.
"When you get exposed on national TV, and your team is struggling the way the Giants are struggling, specifically their offensive line, and then you double down on being an underperforming first-round draft pick from only a year ago and you decide to attack the fans by calling them sheep, and you're the lion" Carton said. "And then worse than that, the vast majority of fans that go to NFL games, not just in New York, but every city in America, are blue-collar people who save up their hard-earned money so they can enjoy the sport they love the most with their family.
"It's not easy, making $50,000-$60,000 a year and going to NFL games. And you attack the fan base by asking what do they do for a living?"
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Carton believes Neal is now "dead to Giants fans" and may never regain credibility in their eyes, but his blunder can be a teaching moment for other athletes.
"It's a good message to every athlete out there," Carton said. "It's not our fault that you stink. It's not our fault that you're underperforming. It's on you. Attacking us is never the way to go."
