Abdul Carter’s request to wear Lawrence Taylor’s iconic No. 56 jersey did not sit well with FS1 host Colin Cowherd.
Colin Cowherd Rips Abdul Carter For Jersey Request
On Monday’s edition of The Herd, Cowherd did not hold back in his criticism of Carter’s request to wear No. 56, a retired number with the New York Giants.
“In life, all you young players, row your own boat. Make your own legacy,” Cowherd said on The Herd. “How about you learn to carry a veteran’s bag before you take his jersey? This screams of entitlement. It screams of lack of self-awareness. Those jerseys are retired.”
Cowherd praised Taylor, calling him the best defensive player in league history and the “greatest New York Giant.”
Despite being “pro young people,” two things about them drive Cowherd nuts: happiness and greatness.
“The second thing that drives me nuts is this idea that nothing was great until you arrived,” Cowherd said. “There’s a reason they built statues for people and retired jerseys because Lawrence Taylor today would walk on the field and easily be the best defensive player in the league.”
Cowherd finished with, “Don’t be asking for retired guys’ jerseys.”
Abdul Carter Also Considered Phil Simms No. 11 Jersey
Breaking: Good news for Giants fans who believe in tradition. Phil Simms’ #11 will not be coming out of retirement for first-round pick Abdul Carter, who wore 11 at Penn State. Simms said on a podcast he would be okay with it but he told me tonight he was outvoted by his family.…
— Gary Myers (@GaryMyersNY) May 3, 2025
Carter spoke with Taylor about wearing No. 56. After their meeting, Taylor denied the request and told Carter to “make your own legacy.”
Carter then lobbied former Giants quarterback Phil Simms to unretire his No. 11 number.
“It would be an HONOR,” Carter wrote on social media in response to Simms saying it wouldn’t bother him if the Penn State product wore No. 11.
However, Simms later revealed that his family “outvoted” him on the issue, so No. 11 will stay retired.
Carter still needs to find a number before the season begins.
I wore #11!!! I have filled BIG SHOES before… If you know football yk who also wore the ST1X. It’s not about the number, it’s about the player! The number just legacy, its iconic, something cool! Look at the LEGACY of ST1X . I came to PSU and not only lived up to that number,… https://t.co/T6oBzp76TX
— Abdul Carter (@1NCRDB1) April 27, 2025
