New York Giants Player Evan Neal Apologizes After Slamming Fans
Evan Neal called New York Giants fans 'sheep' and 'bandwagoners.'
New York Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal is tired of losing and he's taking his frustrations out on the fans. On Wednesday, Neal told Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media about the fans booing the team after losing to the Seattle Seahawks by 21 points and said they should "boo louder." But Neal didn't stop there.
"Why would a lion concern himself with the opinion of a sheep? ... The person that's commenting on my performance, what does he do? Flip hot dogs and hamburgers somewhere?" Neal said, per NFL.com. And when Slater asked Neal why he told fans to boo louder, he said, "Because that just further shows that people are fair-weather. 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?"
On Wednesday night, Neal went to social media to issue an apology for attacking the fans. "I am wrong for lashing out at the fans who are just as passionate and frustrated as I am," Neal wrote. "I let my frustrations in my play + desire to win get the best of me. I had no right to make light of anyone's job and I deeply regret the things I said. "We are working day in and day out to grow as a team and this was an unnecessary distraction. I apologize."
Giants head coach Brian Daboll said the team is moving on from Neal's quotes. "I think that Evan made a statement. We spoke," Daboll said before Thursday's practice, per ESPN. "I know he was very remorseful, regretful for the comment that he made. And we're moving on."
Neal, 23, was selected by the Giants No. 7 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He played in 13 games with 13 starts in 2022 and has played in all four games this season. In the loss against the Seahawks on Monday night, the Giants offensive line surrendered 11 sacks. The Giants are currently 1-3 this year.