During Friday’s episode of First Take, Stephen A. Smith lambasted the New York Giants for reaching out to ESPN executives to complain about Elle Duncan’s critique of former quarterback Daniel Jones.
According to the New York Post, that never happened.
“The New York Giants, respectfully, shut the hell up,” Smith said Friday. “Y’all are awful as an organization. You won a Super Bowl in 2007, you won a Super Bowl in 2011, outside of that, since 2011, that’s 13 years, the Giants have made the playoffs twice. They’ve won one playoff game.
“And you’ve got the nerve to sit up there and call the offices and complain to executives about somebody that went on national television to do their job. Why don’t you do your damn job as an organization?”
Stephen A. Smith weighs in: “The New York Giants, respectfully, shut the hell up. Y’all are awful as an organization… y’all are sorry! Y’all are pathetic! The only reason why you get away with it is because the Jets have been worse… and you’ve got the nerve to sit up there… pic.twitter.com/tvvaQp4Skc
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 22, 2024
The New York Post’s Jared Schwartz wrote Saturday that “nobody on the team actually” reached out to ESPN over Duncan’s comments. Schwartz also noted that “ESPN declined to comment on the discrepancy.”
NY Giants senior vice president of communications Pat Hanlon did take to X to lodge a complaint about Duncan poking fun at Jones’ farewell to Giants fans, saying the segment was “mind boggling” and “tone deaf.”
ESPN’s Elle Duncan on Daniel Jones’ farewell to Giants fans: “You guys think he had this saved in his notes since like 2020? In all seriousness, DJ, I could have saved you like 90 seconds. A rewrite: I’m sorry you paid me $108 million for one playoff win. And I look forward to… pic.twitter.com/CF8Ix8M9M9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 22, 2024
The Giants released Jones on Friday, a decision that was said to be mutual.
Duncan defended herself Friday afterward, saying “You want to call me disrespectful to Daniel Jones? Am I more disrespectful than the Giants making him a scout team safety? Am I more disrespectful than all of those same fans that are in my mentions right now who booed him?”
