And all it took was thirteen months for things to get awkward between the two first-round picks. How, you may ask? Well, over the course of the weekend, the events have been in the following order: Jaxson Dart introduced Donald Trump at a New York rally, and Abdul Carter expressed his disapproval. While the declaration of all being cool was laid out later in the evening, the dust hasn’t settled fully. And now, a Giants legend has waded into the discourse.

“This is just a symptom of where our country is,” Tiki Barber said while speaking on WFAN Sports Radio. “It’s my way or no way, my side or your side has become bipolar. It’s frustrating, to be honest with you, because that’s not how it used to be. It’s a political arena, and when someone steps into it, you immediately become hated for your opinion one way or the other.”

After Dart introduced Trump on Friday, his teammate Abdul Carter reacted on X, writing:

“Thought this s*** was AI. What we doing, man?”

This is where what Barber says becomes crucial. He was part of an NFL locker room for a decade, so he definitely knows what team dynamics are like and what one should and shouldn’t do. Hence, his frustration over this polarizing issue involving the team he loves comes from two places at once: as a fan of the Giants and as a former player. He said in that same interview that he believes the political climate is more polarized and divided than ever.

And that is something we saw right after Carter’s reaction went live. People like Brett Favre, Marlon Humphrey, Boomer Esiason, and Jemele Hill immediately picked sides. Esiason was critical of Carter, calling his post “ridiculous” and “a real error.” He argued that situations like this should be handled man-to-man in a locker room. Hill, on the other hand, was more defensive of Carter.

“So Jaxson Dart gets to publicly express his political beliefs, but Abdul Carter doesn’t?” the 50-year-old remarked.

While the two sides debate the teammates’ actions, Barber strongly pushed back against the idea that the situation represented any deeper issues inside New York’s locker room.

“Is there any issue in the locker room? No, not at all,” the 51-year-old said. “People want to make this a big deal and say, ‘Oh, Abdul Carter was wrong,’ or ‘Jaxson Dart was wrong.’ No, you weren’t. You’re just kids living your life. Get over it.”

This controversy also arrives at a pivotal time for the Giants. The team entered the season with legitimate expectations after the arrival of John Harbaugh, who made a slew of changes by bringing in a whopping 16 players through free agency. Amidst all this, Jaxson Dart also made some interesting recent comments about making more “mature” decisions on the field.

Jaxson Dart has spoken about making smarter decisions in Year 2

The 23-year-old recently reflected on the ups and downs of his mercurial rookie season, where he proved he could genuinely be a franchise quarterback for New York when he was on the field. He threw for 15 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions across 14 appearances.

But his stellar play was also marred by the beating he took physically. The hits to his head were particularly concerning, especially this early in his career. Dart was evaluated for a concussion 5 times in 10 games last season. In fact, he even ended up missing two games due to a concussion.

“Is it worth the risk here in this situation?” Dart said while describing early film-study sessions with offensive coordinator Callahan. “That’s what we talked about a ton, just situationally being smart.. I hated that time of not being out there with my teammates. One of the most important things is to be out there.”

Now entering Year 2, Dart has to continue to make those smart decisions on and off the field. And as evidenced by the most recent controversy surrounding him, the spotlight will always be brighter in New York than anywhere else.