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Jaxson Dart addresses his Giants teammates after appearing at a Trump rally, while the A.J. Brown trade to New England remains stalled over draft pick compensation. The Spurs force a Game 7 against OKC behind a dominant Wemby performance, and Carolin
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Welcome to The Sports Hangover Daily, I'm Michael Benatar. Today on the show: Jaxson Dart faces the locker room after that Trump rally, the A.J. Brown trade is stuck in a staring contest, the Spurs force a Game seven in Oklahoma City, and Carolina is one win away from the Stanley Cup Final. Let's get into it.
Alright, East Rutherford. Jaxson Dart, the Giants' rookie quarterback, held a team meeting on Tuesday to address the elephant in the room. Last week, Dart introduced the President at a campaign-style rally in Suffern, New York. His teammate Abdul Carter — fellow twenty twenty-five first-round pick — responded on social media: "Thought this was AI, what we doing man." That's a pretty honest reaction from a young player who clearly didn't see it coming.
Here's where I land on this. Dart is allowed to have whatever political beliefs he wants. That's his right. But when you're a rookie quarterback who hasn't taken a single regular season snap yet, your ONE job is to get your locker room behind you. That's it. You haven't earned anything. You don't have the equity to survive a controversy. And introducing a President at a political rally — any President, any party — is gonna split your locker room. That's just math.
Credit to the Giants, though. They handled it. Brian Burns spoke. Kayvon Thibodeaux spoke. Jameis Winston spoke. Carter wasn't there — he was celebrating Eid al-Adha — but he'd already squashed it publicly. "Me and JD6 are good. We spoke earlier as men." The Giants say they're moving forward.
But the damage isn't the controversy itself. The damage is that Dart used political capital he didn't have yet. Peyton Manning could've survived this. Eli could've survived this. You know who can't? A rookie who's never won an NFL game. You need your left tackle blocking for you like his life depends on it. You need your receivers running full speed on third and eight in December. And now there's a seed of doubt in some of those guys' heads. Maybe it grows, maybe it doesn't. But Dart planted it himself, and that's the part that's tough to defend.
The A.J. Brown trade saga is officially in a holding pattern. Ian Rapoport went on NFL Network Wednesday and basically said everyone needs to slow down. The Eagles want a first-round pick in twenty twenty-seven. The Patriots aren't willing to give up a first right now. Josina Anderson reported Thursday that the two sides have "grappled" over the total compensation package, and there might be some pick-swapping involved to bridge the gap. June first is the magic date because the cap hit splits in half for Philly. Schefter still thinks it gets done and costs a future first — he's guessing twenty twenty-eight. I still think Brown ends up in New England. Drake Maye needs a legit number one receiver if the Patriots want to get back to the Super Bowl. But the Eagles are dragging this out to squeeze every last asset. Smart play by Philly.
The Vrabel situation in New England just keeps lingering. He faced the media at OTAs on Wednesday, and five of his fourteen questions were about the Russini scandal. His answer when asked if he'd miss more football activities — basically a non-answer. The reigning Coach of the Year, the guy who took the Patriots to the AFC Championship, and he's up there dodging questions about tabloid photos. DT Milton Williams backed him up — said he hasn't changed one bit. But this isn't slowing down, and at some point the football has to be louder than the noise. We're not there yet.
Quick Josh Jacobs update — he's out of jail. The Brown County DA hasn't made a formal charging decision yet. The strangulation and suffocation charge is a felony. The Packers put out the standard "we're aware of the matter" statement. LaFleur deferred to it at OTAs. And remember, Emanuel Wilson — their number two back — already signed with Seattle. So if the NFL steps in with a personal conduct policy suspension, Green Bay's running back room is thin. That's a football problem on top of a legal problem.
The Spurs destroyed the Thunder one eighteen to ninety-one in Game six to force a winner-take-all Game seven on Saturday in Oklahoma City. Wemby went for twenty-eight, ten rebounds, and three blocks. He hit four threes and sat out most of the fourth because it was over. Stephon Castle was phenomenal — seventeen points, nine assists, just one turnover. San Antonio ripped off a twenty to nothing run in the second half and led by as many as twenty-eight. OKC had no answer. Jalen Williams came back from the hamstring strain but was limited off the bench. This series has been wild — three blowouts, two overtime games, and now a Game seven.
In the NHL, Carolina is strangling Montreal. The Hurricanes shut out the Canadiens four to nothing in Game four to take a three to one series lead. Frederik Andersen stopped all eighteen shots for his third shutout of these playoffs. Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, and Logan Stankoven scored within two minutes and forty-seven seconds in the first period. Carolina is eleven and one this postseason and six and oh on the road. They can close it out Friday at home.
Hangover Take time. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the back-to-back MVP, and his Thunder just got blown out by twenty-seven at home in a Conference Finals elimination game. If OKC loses Game seven on Saturday, this becomes the defining question of SGA's career so far. Two MVPs, zero Finals appearances. At some point, the regular season dominance has to translate. Jokic has a ring. Giannis has a ring. SGA has two trophies and a string of playoff exits. I think OKC wins Game seven at home — they're too talented not to. But if they don't? If Wemby and a twenty-one-year-old Stephon Castle walk into Paycom Center and take the series? That's a loss that follows you for years. Saturday night is the biggest game of SGA's life. And honestly, I'm not sure he knows it yet.
That's your hangover. Go hydrate. I'll see you tomorrow.