Surprisingly, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart has become the story of the 2026 NFL offseason. Particularly among some commentators or media members who have a specific political association that heavily impacts their feelings toward certain athletes.

Dart introduced President Donald Trump at a recent rally, giving a mostly unremarkable, brief speech. And in doing so, set off a firestorm of criticism. Criticism that is rarely levied at athletes who speak out in favor of left-wing politicians.

For example, former player and current NFL analyst Emmanuel Acho said it was “pretty stupid” for Dart to introduce Trump. It’s impossible to believe that Dart would receive the same criticism if he introduced Barack Obama, Joe Biden, or Kamala Harris.

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Well, add former ESPN commentator Bomani Jones to the list of commentators who have jumped in to criticize Dart while ignoring other athletes’ political endorsement.

“This idea that we don’t care about the politics of athletes…yes, we do,” Jones said in a recent episode of his “The Right Time with Bomani Jones” show. “Now, whether you care enough about the politics that it affects whether or not you root for them on your team, that becomes a different situation and that becomes just a little bit tricky. Like, will you, if you are a Giants fan, will you stop rooting for the Giants because Jaxson Dart is a Trumper? Probably not. But don’t tell me you don’t care.”

He continued by saying he doubts it’ll “fracture” the Giants’ locker room, despite Abdul Carter’s comments.

“What struck me about this — and I also want to be clear about this — the whole ‘this is going to fracture the locker room‘ thing. NFL locker rooms are wild, segregated, and full of white players who support Trump and black players who support Trump. Okay, that is no revolutionary rule. That’s not how the NFL works.”

GIANTS STAR ABDUL CARTER TAKES ISSUE WITH TEAMMATE JAXSON DART INTRODUCING TRUMP AT NEW YORK RALLY

But Jones then goes after Dart by implying he’s “embarrassing” other players and that “standing” with Trump is an outsized offense compared to other politicians.

“…And this is what I’m saying to Jaxson Dart: ‘Take that monkey s— off. You embarrassing us,'” Jones said. “And what I’m talking about is this, you in here, think about all the love that he got for them chains when he out here doing dances and all of this stuff. I guarantee you it’s a few cats in there that was like, ‘Oh, he cool.’

“I do think that it is important to note that Trump is not the same as any other politician. Like, standing with Trump, and people having a problem with it is not just, ‘I disagree with your politics.’ Somebody went up there and stood with Curtis Sliwa during the mayoral election…it’s not going to be a thing. This is very particularly about this very particular man.”

That’s the problem. Left-wing commentators, like Bomani Jones, treat Trump as though he is an unimaginable evil. Then create rules around behavior based on their wildly inaccurate opinions. While also ignoring that the left also compared Mitt Romney, a very moderate Republican figure, to Hitler. Of course Dart would receive criticism from sports media for introducing any right-wing politician, because sports media is dominated by the political left and they do not tolerate opposition.

Jones would never criticize Abdul Carter, to use a relevant example, for joining Kamala Harris on stage. Because he supports Kamala Harris and views her policies and positions as reasonable and necessary. He refuses to accept that a sizable portion of the United States feels the same way about Trump’s policies and positions. Dart must be chastised, because Trump is uniquely unacceptable. Even though just a year and a half ago, he won the popular vote and carried 31 of the 50 states.

Harris is not uniquely unacceptable to Jones, so therefore she is not divisive. It’s predictable, ridiculous, and absurd. In short, it’s the perfect example of modern left-wing sports commentary.

Former NBA center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins was involved in an altercation at one of his son’s recent AAU basketball games in Norman, Oklahoma.

Perkins is known on-screen as someone who doesn’t mind having a verbal argument about sports with his colleagues, but a video from the AAU game via TMZ Sports shows the 6-foot-10 big man being held back as he screamed at someone not seen in the video.

Perkins coaches his son’s YPG Perkins team, and things were getting chippy against their opponent, Swaveway Playaz. However, a non-basketball foul sent the 2008 NBA champion over the edge.

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Perkins can be seen yelling toward someone, while coaches on his team were pushing him away to alleviate the tension.

As the video went viral, Perkins responded to it on social media.

“Damn right, and it probably won’t be the last time!” Perkins wrote on X. “I’m going to protect every single kid in my organization like they’re my own.”

KENDRICK PERKINS ACCIDENTALLY EXPOSED THE NBA’S BIGGEST PROBLEM DURING ESPN’S ‘FIRST TAKE’

Perkins also addressed the altercation during an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” where he made the stance he was trying to protect his players.

“We’re in a tournament; it’s a heated game. 17U, they’re going back and forth or whatever,” Perkins said. “We end up winning the game, all right cool. The other team, they had this guy who’s like 7-foot, 400 pounds. After the game, he comes and he body slams one of my kids who plays for my team. I stay seated and then I get up ‘cause everybody’s running around. The players, they’re about to fight. So, as a responsible owner of the organization, I get up and, ‘Hey man, y’all need to chill,’ X-Y-Z. I’m grabbing my players. I tell the coach of the other team, ‘Hey bro, get your players. I got mine.’ He pops off. ‘I ain’t getting nothing, I ain’t getting nothing. Who the hell are you.’

“The kid that got slammed to the ground, his parents weren’t at the game. So, his parents trusted me with their child. So, I gotta protect that child as if he’s mine. I’m going to stand up for him, even though I didn’t go over there with bad intentions, I gotta make sure that kid is OK and he makes it back home to his parents. He’s a young man, but again, he plays in my organization. So, I gotta make sure, by any means necessary, that he’s safe.”

Before Perkins was on-air talking about the NBA, the Texas native played 14 seasons in the league, helping the Boston Celtics win the 2008 title.

He spent eight of those seasons in Boston, averaging 6.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, developing into a starting center for his squad.

During the 2010-11 season, Perkins was traded from the Celtics to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he spent five seasons. He also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans before retiring from the league.

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The latest development in Caitlin Clark’s closely followed season arrived about 24 hours before tip off of the Indiana Fever’s latest game.

Clark was listed as probable ahead of Thursday’s matchup with the Golden State Valkyries as she continues to deal with a back issue early in the WNBA season.

Meanwhile, all signs point to teammate Bree Hall also being available to suit up.

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Caitlin Clark was a late scratch for the Fever’s May 20 matchup against the Portland Fire, marking her first missed game of the season. Even without Clark, Indiana rolled to a 90-73 victory. The Fever hit the 90-point mark again last Friday, this time in a win over the Valkyries.

While there were some concerns about Clark’s availability leading into last week’s Fever-Valkyries game, those worries proved short-lived. Clark returned to the starting lineup and scored a team-high 22 points to help lift Indiana to its third consecutive victory.

Clark’s promising start to her WNBA career was interrupted by injuries in 2025. After appearing in 40 games and winning Rookie of the Year in 2024, Clark was limited to just 13 appearances last season due to a groin strain and ankle-bone bruise.

WNBA COACH DOUBLES DOWN ON JALEN BRUNSON DOUBTS DESPITE KNICKS REACHING NBA FINALS

On Wednesday, during the Fever’s off day ahead of Thursday’s Golden State-Indiana rematch, Clark was spotted about a mile from the Valkyries’ home arena attending the San Francisco Giants’ game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Clark attended the game alongside her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, the former Iowa basketball player.

McCaffery and Clark were seen wearing Giants hats at Oracle Park, though Clark has previously acknowledged her Phillies fandom — even if the team was not originally her top choice.

“My boyfriend grew up a really big Phillies fan, so I kinda had to like the Phillies. I do like them, I love Bryce Harper. I still like the Cubs, I like the Yankees. I’m not like a diehard any baseball team. My dad was a big Royals fan,” the two-time WNBA All-Star said in 2024.

“Kansas City was like a professional sports team to us. I liked the Chiefs before the Chiefs were really good too, so I’m not a bandwagoner either. I like the Phillies, so I’ll cheer for them this postseason.”

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