Giants right tackle Evan Neal criticizes his own fans for booing

Giants right tackle Evan Neal responds to boos from fans by throwing harsh words back at them. Offensive line struggles continue.

In the wake of the New York Giants' embarrassing 24-3 loss and the subsequent boos from the fans, Giants right tackle Evan Neal has responded with some strong words of his own. Neal, who has struggled through the team's poor start to the season, fired back at the fans who criticized him.

When asked about the boos, 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?" Neal's comments reflect his frustration and his belief that the fans' opinions hold little weight.

During the broadcast of Monday Night Football, Neal was caught appearing to encourage the boos from the fans during the team's loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He continued his response, stating, "Because that just further shows that people are fair-weather. 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 asses 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?"

The Giants' offensive line was heavily criticized for giving up 11 sacks in the loss, with starting quarterback Daniel Jones being sacked 10 times. This marked the first time since 1985 that an NFL quarterback had been sacked 10 times in a single game. While Neal himself did not surrender a sack, he did allow six hurries and seven pressures.

Despite the criticism, Neal remains confident in his abilities and his improvement. He stated, "Go watch the film. At the end of the day, I know I'm making improvements. It doesn't matter what the outside may say or anything. You ask the guys around me and the coaching staff. I know I'm improving. And I'm going to continue to improve throughout the duration of the season."

Neal also emphasized that many critics do not truly understand the game of football to the level that the players and coaches do. He questioned why he should concern himself with the opinions of those who do not have the same level of understanding. "So why would a lion concern himself with the opinion of a sheep? I'm just going to focus on Evan -- and getting better. I honestly do not care what anybody has to say about Evan Neal, because they're going to talk anyway."

However, Neal quickly realized the error of his comments and issued an apology on X. He acknowledged that he was wrong for lashing out at the fans and made light of their jobs. He expressed regret for his words and recognized that they were an unnecessary distraction for the team's progress.

Neal was selected by the Giants with the No. 7 overall pick in last year's draft, and his performance and improvement will continue to be closely watched throughout the season.