Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning said he supports athletes who take political positions, but warned that they should be prepared to face potential criticism if they do so.
The two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback spoke to CNBC Sports about politics in sports after current Giants signal-caller Jackson Dart came under scrutiny for introducing President Donald Trump at a rally outside New York City. His decision to publicly support Trump prompted a backlash, including public criticism from teammate Abdul Carter.
“If an athlete feels strongly that they are supporting politics or supporting someone, they should be allowed to do that. That’s fine,” Manning told CNBC. “You have to understand that there are going to be teammates, fans and people who think differently about it.”
The 23-year-old quarterback received a lot of reaction to the move and later disabled comments on his Instagram account. He then told his Giants teammates about his decision to attend the rally, according to the report.
“I love all of my teammates, regardless of politics,” he said in a statement Friday.
Manning said political differences could lead to new conversations and bridges of understanding between teammates.
“I hope there will be no friction or rifts within the team. I hope there will be some great conversations and the team will come together,” he added. “We may not agree with everyone and their beliefs or what they believe, but we can still work together, trust each other, compete together, and try to perform our craft and work together at a high level.”
Manning said he didn’t speak publicly about politics during his playing days, a decision he said helped him and his brother Payton become pitchers for many big-name brands, including Direct TV, Nationwide, Corona and Pepsi.
“It’s just that it was easy to walk away from it because it wasn’t something I was really passionate about to begin with,” he said.
