Abdul Carter responds to Shannon Sharpe’s criticism after Giants LB requests Lawrence Taylor’s iconic No. 56 jersey

New York Giants pass rusher Abdul Carter requested to wear Lawrence Taylor’s No. 56, which some people had a problem with.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe was disappointed by the fact that Carter asked to wear No. 56, which is retired. After Sharpe’s critiscm, Carter took to X, to fire back at Sharpe.

“I wore #11!!! I have filled BIG SHOES before… If you know football yk who also wore the ST1X. It’s not about the number, it’s about the player! The number just legacy, its iconic, something cool! Look at the LEGACY of ST1X . I came to PSU and not only lived up to that number, but made it even more legendary,” Carter wrote. “That’s how I see it. I shot, if he says no, cool, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. But I spoke to LT on the phone yesterday! Chill dude. Dope speaking to the and know for certain, 56 or not I will build my own legacy. InshaAllah.”

It’s an interesting take from Carter, who wants to be legendary, as he noted that he wore No. 11 at Penn State after Micah Parsons wore the number.

Carter also said it was just a request, and there are no hard feelings from Taylor that he declined the request, as he just wanted to see.

Carter was selected third overall by the Giants in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Abdul Carter responds to Lawrence Taylor declining his number request

Abdul Carter was selected third overall by the Giants, and after being picked, he requested to wear #56.

After the request, Taylor said no as he told Carter to go make another number legendary.

“I know he would love to wear that number, but hey, I think it’s retired. Get another number, I don’t care if it’s double zero, and then make it famous,” Taylor told the Post. But Taylor made it clear that there was no ill intent. The request was not meant in any derogatory manner.

After Taylor’s message, Carter took to X to respond to Taylor and praised the legendary pass rusher.

“The worst thing he could say was NO!! My stance don’t change, LT is the (GOAT) nothing but respect… This just gonna make me work even harder!! I love it,” Carter added.

Abdul Carter has yet to pick his number that he will wear with the Giants.

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Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton