Eli Manning would be relieved that he isn’t in Jaxson Dart‘s shoes now. The current New York Giants QB still hasn’t lived down the backlash from the controversy he sparked by attending a New York political rally. But a problem like this would have been rare in Manning’s time, as the two-time Super Bowl champion ensured he stuck to a strict philosophy.

“It wasn’t something I was super passionate about in the first place. So, it was just easier to stay out of it and just to avoid any controversy,” Eli Manning said about expressing his political leanings during an interview with CNBC. “And probably I wasn’t prepared to talk about it. I didn’t know enough on both sides to pick one way over the other. So, I just said, “Hey, I’ll sit, listen, try to learn more, but I’ll probably stay out of this field.”

Everything was going swimmingly for the Giants this offseason otherwise. They had a new head coach in John Harbaugh, who has constantly expressed his plans to build New York into a solid contender. They have a promising starting quarterback in Jaxson Dart, who had emerged as a leader, despite being only in his second season. All of this work was upended when the QB attended the rally, which disappointed teammate Abdul Carter.

“Thought this s*** was AI, what we doing man,” Carter shared on X.

Like this comment, Jaxson Dart faced continued backlash from fans while the issue threatened to affect the harmony in the team. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, Dart had to address this controversy in a team meeting, which also saw veterans Jameis Winston and Brian Burns weigh in on this situation. If this spiralled out of control, there was a big chance of the Giants losing the locker room.

“Was it pretty stupid, given the reaction it will cause to his other brothers that are humans and have human emotions? Absolutely,” former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho said on the Speakeasy podcast. “I don’t think it was wise.”

The Giants’ way of putting this behind them was conducting a press conference featuring Dart, Carter, Harbaugh and Winston. The two briefly exchanged a hug, and Harbaugh called the whole debacle an “opportunity for [the team] to come together.” But the controversy is still alive and kicking.

“Athletes should be allowed to do it if they feel strong about politics or supporting someone; that’s fine,” Manning told CNBC. “You just have to understand that there’s going to be teammates, fans, and people that are going to think differently about that.”

Eli Manning, in his playing career, has never publicly implied any political leanings towards any side. And having drilled this policy, he stuck with it even after he’d retired. Per The New York Post, he refused to answer if he had voted in the 2016 election, by saying that he was “not a huge political person,” and that he “[doesn’t] get too involved.”

The risk factor in what Manning said is far less than Dart’s comments in the rally. The latter had a reason to lose everything he worked for.

The young QB seems to have understood this lesson as he continues to face the consequences of his actions, although the drama surrounding the Giants appears to have simmered down.

Phil Simms wants Jaxson Dart to “calm it down” after locker room controversy

To help Dart get past this controversy and avoid bringing further damage to a franchise in hardware mode, former Giants Super Bowl-winning QB Phil Simms had some wise words of advice.

“I just think Jaxson Dart, what he has gone through with the president and all that. Just you know, calm it down. If you are out there too much, in my opinion, when anything goes wrong at all, that’s what they’re going to jump on.”

Dart had previously been seen at the Kentucky Derby and at the NBA Playoffs before the recent controversy. But now, the QB isn’t as out there as he was before. For now, Dart is focused on getting work done at the OTAs. He’d also recently had to shut off comments on his Instagram page as the backlash continued.

The QB has no option but to lay low until this storm passes.