The New York Giants’ win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football wasn’t just a star-making performance for Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito, but also his agent.
Wearing a black pinstripe suit and a matching hat, Sean Stellato looked more like an extra in Goodfellas than he did an NFL agent. And his celebrations throughout DeVito’s NFC Offensive Player of the Week-winning performance only upped the ante, as Stellato exchanged kisses on the cheek with the quarterback’s father while throwing up his signature hand signal.
"This guy, the agent, may break the internet."
"What the heck's going on?"
"THEY HAVING KISSES EVERYWHERE."– Joe Buck and Troy Aikman having a lot of fun with Tommy DeVito's agent. pic.twitter.com/ETws3BfEfr
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 12, 2023
Stellato’s showing was so overwhelming that many were left wondering whether the agent was playing up his heritage. Appearing on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Wednesday, Stellato made it clear he wasn’t wearing a costume — he’s just a proud Italian American.
“What you see is what you get,” he said. “This wasn’t no costume. My wife thinks in my first life I was from the [19]20s.”
https://twitter.com/LeBatardShow/status/1734947249426223356
As for the hand gesture, which has been synonymous with Italian culture long before DeVito’s emergence, it can mean different things to different people. Asked by Meadowlark Media’s Charlotte Wilder what it means to him, Stellato initially launched into a string of Italian clichés before offering a more authentic answer.
“‘Forget about it.’ I mean it’s really just, ‘Listen to me you Mamaluke,'” Stellato said with a laugh. “It’s a symbol. I think it’s interpreted differently by different Italians, but it’s definitely a powerful hand gesture that Tommy’s passionate about it. I love it. I’m sure a lot of proud Italianos all over the world are starting to incorporate it into their daily routine a little bit more. I think it might have been really used a lot more years back, but it’s the contemporary hand gesture and we’re excited about it.”
https://twitter.com/LeBatardShow/status/1734951998422651008
While it might have been easy to initially dismiss Stellato as a caricature, his interview on the Le Batard Show proved that he’s anything but that. And with DeVito’s emergence becoming one of the NFL’s biggest — and most surprising — stories, it’s a safe bet this won’t be the last time we hear from him.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.