After being selected as the No. 3 pick by the New York Giants, Abdul Carter mentioned his interest in wearing No. 56, the number famously worn by Giants legend Lawrence Taylor. However, there’s one catch: No. 56 is retired in honor of Taylor, a player Carter admires for his defensive prowess.
Taylor quickly responded to Carter’s request, making it clear he wasn’t in favor of the rookie donning his retired number. In a statement to the New York Post, Taylor said, “I know he would love to wear that number, but I think it’s retired. Get another number. I don’t care if it’s double zero, just make it famous.”
Carter, however, didn’t take offense to Taylor’s response. Instead, he expressed his respect for the Hall of Famer on X (formerly Twitter) later that night. “The worst thing he could say was NO!! My stance doesn’t change, LT is the [goat emoji], nothing but respect… This just gonna make me work even harder!! I love it,” Carter tweeted.
There doesn’t appear to be any hard feelings between the two, and if anything, Carter’s respect for Taylor seems to have created a bond. It will be interesting to see which number Carter ultimately wears in New York. In a similar situation, Giants 2024 first-round pick Malik Nabers received permission from the family of Ray Flaherty to wear No. 1, a number previously retired. As Carter’s college number, No. 11, is retired in honor of quarterback Phil Simms, it’s possible that, like with Nabers, there could be some flexibility around Carter’s jersey number.
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