Abdul Carter sends fiery message after Giants legend rejects rookie's request to wear iconic No. 56

Abdul Carter was quick to react to the Giants legend Lawrence Taylor rejected the newly drafted player's request to wear his jersey no 56. The 21-year-old Penn State linebacker was selected by the New York Giants as the third overall pick in the draft.

Following his selection, Abdul Carter expressed his desire to wear the iconic 56 jersey number. For the unversed, the number was worn by the Giants' former linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

But the two-time Super Bowl champion firmly rejected the rookie's request to wear his jersey number and suggested he pick another number and "make it famous."

"I know he would love to wear that number, Taylor said. "But hey I think it’s retired. Get another number, I don’t care if it’s double zero, and then make it famous.”

Abdul Carter reacted to the rejection via a social media post. On April 26, on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Carter shared a message in response, writing:

"The worst thing he could say was NO!! My stance don’t change, LT is the 🐐 nothing but respect… This just gonna make me work even harder!! I love it."

Abdul Carter played football at the college level with the jersey number 11.

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Giants coach lavishes praise on Abdul Carter

The Giants' head coach, Brian Daboll, expressed confidence in his team's decision to pick Abdul Carter in the draft. He lauded the former Penn State LB, calling him an "exceptional player."

"He's a great kid, and he's an exceptional player," Daboll said (via Giants.com). "He's got great quickness, bend, he's hard to block. He played off the ball the year before, and he has some instincts in that area, as well, smart.

Abdul Carter has already made his impression in college-level football. He played three years for Penn State and had his best season in 2024.

He had 43 solo tackles last season and assisted in 25, and his successful season helped him become the overall third pick in the 2025 draft. Cam Ward, Miami quarterback, became the overall number one pick for this year's draft, while Travis Hunter was the second overall pick.