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As the Jaxson Dart-Abdul Carter talk raged, Super Bowl champion Joe Theismann appeared unconcerned about the impact it might have on the locker room.
Dart introduced President Donald Trump before his speech in Suffern, New York, on Friday, and his New York Giants teammate Abdul Carter took issue with him. Theismann said that even if players in a locker room have different opinions, the focus is on football and the Dart-Carter talk will have no effect.
“It has no effect. It’s going to be football. I mean, politics is one thing and sports is another, and we’re starting to see them intersect. People have different opinions on a lot of different things in a locker room,” Theismann told PK Press Club Digital in a recent interview.
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Former NFL player Joe Theismann speaks with sportscaster Chris Collinsworth before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland on November 2, 2025. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
“A locker room is like a giant family. It’s not 53 guys, it’s 80 guys because there’s people on the practice squad, there’s people coming in and going out. So, everyone has a lot of different opinions. I think when it comes to football, guys are focused on football.”
Although Dart and Carter appear to have different political views, they seemed to brush off any potential rift when Carter posted about X in a since-deleted tweet that they were “good.”
“Me and JD6 are doing great! We spoke earlier as Men,” Carter wrote. “You can all keep your stories.”
Dart, 23, set the stage for Trump’s speech with a chant before welcoming the president to the stage.
“Big Blue Nation, it’s a pleasure to be here. I have to start with a ‘Go Big Blue,'” Dart said, before leading the chant for a few moments before introducing Trump.
“What an honor, what a privilege to be here, and without further ado, I am grateful, I am honored, I am pleased to introduce the 45th and 47th Presidents of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump.”
Trump and Dart then shook hands on stage before the 23-year-old left.
ABDUL CARTER DELETES CRITICISM OF HIS TEAMMATE JAXSON DART EVEN AS NYC Radio Host Rips Him On Air
(Left) New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) practices before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on December 21, 2025. (Right) Abdul Carter (51) of the New York Giants watches from the field before an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on October 9, 2025. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images; Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Carter ignited the storm by reposting a Dart video featuring Trump on X and captioning the tweet: “I thought it was AI what we were doing man.” He has since deleted the tweet.
Discourse over Carter’s rebroadcast of Dart’s appearance with Trump was rampant on social media. Theismann called social media one of the worst things that could happen to athletics.
“If you like someone, you like someone. If you don’t like someone, you don’t like someone. The worst thing that has happened to athletics, to some extent, is social media. We’ve seen a lot of people get bothered by that. I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I don’t see it affecting the locker room,” Theismann said.
Theismann played in the NFL for 12 seasons, spending all of them with the then-Washington Redskins. He said politics were never discussed in the locker room.
SUPER BOWL CHAMPION JEROME BETTIS HAS A MESSAGE FOR JAXSON DART, ABDUL CARTER AFTER TRUMP RALLY CONTROVERSY
President Donald Trump shakes hands with New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart as he arrives to speak at Rockland Community College in Suffern, N.Y., May 22, 2026. (Alex Brandon/AP)
“Never. We talked about family. We talked about football. We talked about the upcoming opponent. I don’t remember a conversation where we sat down and talked about anything political. I really can’t. And it was kind of a refuge for a lot of us, I think, to be able to get away, you know, especially in Washington, D.C.,” Theismann said.
“You are at the heart of all the political elements of life and this was a safe place to go.”
In the locker room, Theismann said you interact with so many different types of people who have different opinions on life, but never talk about politics. The 1983 MVP winner said it was a different time back then and people are more sensitive now.
“It was a different time and I think guys are sensitive now. They get caught up in the sensitivity of life and sometimes. It’s nice to step back and let life exist without trying to get too worked up,” Theismann said.
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NFL quarterback Jaxson Dart hugs President Donald Trump during a Fighting For American Workers event in Suffern, New York, May 22, 2026. (Ryan Murphy/AP)
American Century Championship
This will be the 37th American championship of the century, and Joe Theismann has participated in 36 of them. He said he used to be a handicap of 2, but is now a handicap of nine because he doesn’t hit the ball as far. He will look to turn back the clock when he competes in the tournament July 10-12 at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe.
He said the American Century Championship is the only thing you really want to be a part of.
“The American Century Championship has evolved into one of those things where if you love golf and if you’re in the celebrity world, quote unquote, it’s the thing that you really want to be a part of. You can measure your game. You can pull back the curtain on so many wonderful people and you can see the ones that you watch on TV because I’m a fan of everything. But now you get the chance to see them up close and personal and you get the chance to meet them and get to know them and it’s exciting,” Theismann said.
The 76-year-old said he could visit people at the stand. He mentioned Jerry Rice, Tony Romo and Miles Teller as people he had conversations with, calling himself a Teller “fanboy.”
Theismann said “Top Gun: Maverick” was his favorite movie of all time.
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Former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Theismann waves to the crowd during a college football game between Notre Dame and Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend on October 12, 2024. (MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The tournament raised more than $8 million for regional and national charities. American Century Investments donates 40% of its profits to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and activates a tournament fundraiser each year to generate direct donations to Stowers. Theismann thanked CEO Jonathan Thomas for the tournament’s charitable work.
Theismann thanked CEO Jonathan Thomas for the tournament’s charitable work.
The tournament will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
