Colin Cowherd delivered an all-time rant Monday against New York Giants rookie Abdul Carter.
Carter has shown interest in wearing No. 56 and No. 11 for the Giants, both of which are retired by the franchise. That did not sit well with Cowherd, who thinks the No. 3 overall pick is showing both a sense of entitlement and a lack of self-awareness in pursuing the numbers of two legendary players.
“In life, all you young players, row your own boat. Make your own legacy,” Cowherd said on “The Herd” Monday. “How about you learn how to carry a veteran’s bag before you take his jersey? This screams of entitlement. It screams for lack of self-awareness. Those jerseys are retired. And it’s not like it’s a tight end — Lawrence Taylor is the greatest New York Giant. Just asking is a lack of self-awareness.”
"Just asking is a lack of self-awareness."@ColinCowherd goes off on Abdul Carter for wanting to wear #56 despite the New York Giants already retiring it in honor of Lawrence Taylor. pic.twitter.com/gePiZI9NNm
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 5, 2025
Cowherd’s comments are similar to those made by Rob Gronkowski about Carter’s request. Taylor himself offered up a similar sentiment when he made clear he would not give Carter his blessing to wear No. 56.
Phil Simms, who wore No. 11, was initially open to letting Carter wear the number, but changed his stance after he was outvoted by his family. Carter more or less shrugged that off.
A lot of people will likely agree with Cowherd’s opinion here. As talented as Carter is, he is an NFL rookie with a long way to go before he can match the accomplishments of Taylor or Simms. At this point, he is better off choosing a number that he can make his own instead of inviting comparisons with some of the franchise’s greats, even if he thinks he can live up to those comparisons.
