Shot Clock Violation: Jaxson Dart Under Fire, MLB Salary Cap & Jannik Sinner's Collapse | Don't @ Me w/ Dan Dakich
30 seconds are on the clock as Don't @ Me's Shot Clock Violation with Dan Dakich, Danny Z, and Jason Hammer debate the biggest topics trending in sports media each week.
Ever since New York Giants star quarterback Jaxson Dart committed the egregious sin of introducing President Donald Trump at a New York rally, there has been a media onslaught, with liberals like Joy Behar of "The View" going as far as claiming he’s "racist," and the Giants even had a team meeting to address the situation, which was exacerbated by Dart’s teammate and fellow first-round pick Abdul Carter publicly shaming him online and questioning his quarterback’s decision.
New York Giants first-round draft picks Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart hold up Giants jerseys before a press conference. (Thomas Salus-Imagn Images)
On Friday, Dart, Carter, head coach John Harbaugh and other team members addressed the media regarding the situation. It’s not shocking, but it is disappointing that Dart’s simple involvement in the event has turned into a national controversy, while Josh Jacobs getting arrested on charges of reportedly strangling his girlfriend gets almost zero press after the day it was reported.
When Dart addressed the media, it honestly felt like a four-minute struggle session. While you could tell the Giants quarterback truly cares about the United States, (He said: "I've always loved this country"..."the President's position has always been a position that I've well respected, regardless of political affiliation, regardless of political party and, you know, my intentions were just that"), I believe this was too drawn out.
First off, I don’t believe Dart should have to explain his decision to introduce President Trump at a rally in the first place. But since we live in a day and age where there is a clear political double standard in sports, it's not surprising to see what this has turned into. Liberals, who unfortunately make up the vast majority of sports media, will celebrate athletes endorsing/hanging out with Democrat politicians, while shaming those like Dart that dare to be conservative and Trump supporters.
JAXON DART FACES MORE BACKLASH FOR INTRODUCING TRUMP THAN NFL PLAYERS FACE FOR VIOLENT CRIMES
NFL quarterback Jaxson Dart introduced President Donald Trump during a Fighting For American Workers event in Suffern, N.Y., on May 22, 2026. ((Ryan Murphy/AP))
Here’s what I believe Dart should have said instead.
"Thank you all for coming today. I have a statement I’d like to make and won’t be taking any further questions afterwards, because I want to focus on football and put this behind us. I respect the office of president, regardless of political party or affiliation, and as I said on stage at the rally, it was an honor to be involved. I appreciate the conversations we have had as a team over the last week. Right now, I’m ready to move forward, and prepare for the season. Thank you."
That’s it. No drawn out explaining how your family members have served. No need to say you, "understand in this world, politics can be a sensitive matter, a sensitive topic." Just be straight to the point and unwavering, without feeling the need to justify a simple, benign action. Less is more.
GIANTS' ABDUL CARTER AND JAXSON DART SQUASH POTENTIAL LOCKER ROOM RIFT OVER TRUMP EVENT APPEARANCE
If reporters want to shame you for your conservative views and support of the sitting president, let them make fools out of themselves. Let the trolls online spew their hateful rhetoric and know you have a lot of support around the league, in the stands, and especially from your Trump-supporting head coach.
John Harbaugh poses after a press conference announcing his hiring as the next New York Giants head coach at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J., on Jan. 20, 2026. (Ed Mulholland/Imagn Images)
Overall, even with Dart’s unnecessarily lengthy, though extremely heartfelt statement, he took the high road compared to his teammate Abdul Carter, who chose his time at the mic to double down on his dislike of Trump. Carter stated, "If [Dart] chooses to align himself with a man like President Trump, it's my responsibility based on what I believe & what I stand on to not only show my teammates that I'm against that, but to show the world."
No Abdul, it’s not your job to monitor and referee your teammate’s political opinions.
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Clay Travis said it best, "Abdul Carter says he has a "responsibility" to address Jaxson Dart’s political opinions. Why? Everyone can share their own opinions. Carter didn’t do that. He attacked Dart’s opinions. And now he’s doing it in uniform at work, which Dart never did."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell points out New York Giants fans to edge rusher Abdul Carter after the Giants selected him with the third pick during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on April 24, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. (Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Syndication)
Call me nit-picky when it comes to Dart’s statement, but I think it’s better to not play the Left’s game and come across, in any sense, that you should be ashamed for being a conservative and a Trump supporter. That support doesn’t mean you stand by absolutely everything Trump says as an individual or does legislatively, but when the alternative is a party that stands for men in women’s sports, abortion on demand, open borders, gender reassignment surgeries on minors, revisionist American history propaganda in schools, anti-law enforcement rhetoric and policies, and more nonsense, you should stand on business and be unafraid to be on the right side of history.
