LT declines Carter’s ask for 56: Make personal mark

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Lawrence Taylor desires newly drafted New York Giants go rusher Abdul Carter to create his personal legacy, person who would possibly not come with dressed in the No. 56 that Taylor made well-known right through his mythical profession.

Taylor instructed ESPN that the 2 spoke Saturday morning, two days after Carter used to be the 3rd total select within the 2025 NFL draft out of Penn State. It got here after Carter reached out via intermediaries about doubtlessly dressed in Taylor’s retired quantity.

Taylor respectfully declined during the intermediaries. Taylor’s longtime agent, Mark Lepselter, and Carter’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, then organized a telephone name this weekend. Taylor sought after to turn he used to be supportive of the latest Giants go rusher however sought after him to make his personal mark.

“He has to be the player that he is,” Taylor instructed ESPN in a telephone dialog. “He can’t be another Lawrence Taylor. Well, he may be better than a Lawrence Taylor, who knows. But he has to make his mark. It’s up to him.”

Taylor added: “And I’m hoping that he’s not thinking that, ‘Oh, I got shot down by LT.’ No, it isn’t like that, man. It’s, ‘Hey, I’m with you!’ I mean, I’m the guy that it takes two. I’m going to be two steps behind you and make sure you don’t fall.”

Carter, who made a publish on social media that featured Taylor’s image at the wall on the Giants facility right through his predraft seek advice from, figured it used to be value a shot. Taylor is thought of as by way of many to be the best defensive participant of all time, and the No. 11 that Carter wore in school could also be retired in honor of Phil Simms.

“The worst thing he could say was NO!! My stance don’t change, LT is the [GOAT] nothing but respect… This just gonna make me work even harder!! I love it,” Carter posted to X.

Carter has no longer made up our minds on a host. He mentioned Friday right through his introductory information convention on the Giants’ facility that he used to be nonetheless within the means of figuring all of it out. But he knew lots about Taylor via YouTube clips and stories of his greatness.

“I haven’t met him yet, but I feel like eventually I will,” Carter mentioned. “But he’s the greatest football of all time, somebody I look up to. Just want to follow in his footsteps, knowing how great he was. I just want to chase greatness, and knowing that he was the best, that’s what I want to chase. But I didn’t say it like, ‘I want to be better than Lawrence Taylor.’ That’s more me looking up to him, inspired to be like him.”

Taylor organized to fulfill and seek advice from with Carter on the staff facility someday subsequent month.

Carter’s plan to invite for 56 got here to mild right through an interview with Bleacher Report after he used to be drafted. The New York Post reported Friday night time that it wasn’t going to occur.

“I know he would love to wear that number, but hey, I think it’s retired. Get another number, I don’t care if it’s double zero, and then make it famous,” Taylor instructed the Post. But Taylor made it transparent that there used to be no unwell intent. The request used to be no longer intended in any derogatory method.

In truth, the 2 gave the impression to take to each other right through their preliminary dialog.

“I mean, the guy’s a great player, and I’ll tell you what, I just talked to him on the phone for a couple of minutes, I mean, what a personality,” Taylor mentioned. “I mean, he seems like he’s a good guy.”

Taylor used to be the second one total select within the 1981 NFL draft. He helped flip across the Giants, successful Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year upon becoming a member of the staff. He used to be named MVP in 1986 and helped the Giants to 2 Super Bowl triumphs right through a 13-year profession, all with New York, that integrated 132.5 sacks. Taylor took No. 56 with the Giants as a result of he used to be partial to linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson, who wore that quantity with the Dallas Cowboys.

Unretiring a host for a first-round draft select is not utterly overseas to the Giants. Last 12 months’s first-round select Malik Nabers gained permission from the circle of relatives of the overdue Ray Flaherty to put on No. 1.