'Remorseful' Evan Neal apologizes once more for lashing out at Giants fans
Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal speaks to the media on Jan. 22 in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: Corey Sipkin
A sheepish Evan Neal apologized on Thursday for comments he made on Wednesday disparaging Giants fans — and fast-food workers.
On Wednesday, Neal told NJ.com: “Why would a lion concern himself with the opinion of a sheep? The person that’s commenting on my performance, what does he do? Flip hot dogs and hamburgers somewhere?”
On Thursday, in the Giants’ locker room, the offensive tackle said: “I’m remorseful. I definitely could have used a better choice of words. Coming from humble beginnings myself, I never want to belittle anyone, regardless of their financial status or occupation. So I really just want to apologize for what I said.”
Neal, who said the comments came in a “moment of frustration,” said he addressed his teammates about the issue.
“He took responsibility for his actions and I applaud him for that,” wide receiver Parris Campbell said.
Giants coach Brian Daboll called the comments by Neal a “slip-up” and said the team is ready to move on.
Daboll said he would keep the details of a conversation he had with Neal — and any disciplinary action he might have taken — private.
“He was frustrated,” Daboll said. “He made a poor choice, poor decision, poor comments. He acknowledged that and we’re moving on.”
Neal apologized on Wednesday night on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and again multiple times in person on Thursday.
“I just want to apologize again for the things I said yesterday,” he said. “It's unacceptable. I just could've used a better choice of words . . . although it wasn’t my intent to offend anyone or anyone’s occupation, that’s how it came across.”
During Monday night’s 24-3 loss to the Seahawks, as fans at MetLife Stadium were booing the Giants in a game in which Neal and his offensive linemates gave up 11 sacks, Neal egged on fans, telling them to boo louder.
“Because that just further shows that people are fair-weather,” Neal told NJ.com. “A lot of fans are bandwagoners. I mean, I get it: They want to see us perform well. And I respect all of that. But no one wants us to perform well more than we do.
“And how can you say you’re really a fan when we’re out there battling our [butts] off — and the game wasn’t going well — but the best you can do is boo your home team? So how much of a fan are you, really?”
Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said Neal’s comments could become a distraction, and said the whole thing probably wouldn’t have happened if Neal was a more experienced player. Neal, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Alabama, has struggled as the Giants have gotten off to a 1-3 start.
“You don't want to see anybody put themself in the position that he did because it becomes a distraction,” Martindale said. “You just can't snap back. You’ve got to think about everything you say and just have the confidence that you will continue to work to get better. That’s what I would say to him.”
Said running back Saquon Barkley: “The advice I would give to him and any other teammate is that you never pick a battle with the fans. You're never going to win that one. They've been here before us and they're going to be here after us. That’s just the truth.
“Do I think what he said was wrong? I think he could have used his words differently. But he’s, in some cases, he’s right, knowing that you’re getting booed. Basically, how I took it — outside of the hamburgers and stuff like that, he definitely could have chosen his words differently there — but at the end of the day, we’re all we’ve got. We’ve got to do better on the football field. We’ve got to perform better because at the end of the day it’s the entertainment business and we’ve got to put a product out there for the fans to be happy about.”
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
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