It’s never a good sign when team legends and radio analysts are feuding with current star players, but that’s exactly what is happening with the New York Giants.
The Giants have not exactly been the epitome of a franchise that has everything together the last several years. Yet rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has given fans of Big Blue something to have hope in, even if the team’s record sits at just 2-6 on the season.
Anything to focus on the future and not wallow in the present would be welcome, especially when it comes to the ongoing feud between star defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and Giants radio analyst and franchise legend Carl Banks.
Banks is no stranger to ruffling feathers locally. A couple of years ago, Banks’ weekly appearances on WFAN were canceled when he got into an argument with hosts Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata.
On his Bleav podcast with radio partner Bob Papa, Banks said that opposing players don’t respect Lawrence as a threat anymore in some brutally honest commentary.
“Nobody respects you anymore — nobody.” 😳
Carl Banks got on Dexter Lawrence’s case pic.twitter.com/bAAWyoDL8M
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) October 27, 2025
“I’m looking at enough tape to know your opponents don’t respect you. Not like they used to,” Banks said. “I’m just going to say this, again I don’t know the circumstances. It’s time for you to start expecting more of yourself. I don’t know if you’re injured, I don’t know if you’ve fully recovered. But it’s time to start asking more of yourself because they don’t respect you.”
In the Giants locker room on Wednesday, Dexter Lawrence fired back at Carl Banks, dismissing the criticism and calling him “delusional.”
Dexter Lawrence was asked if he was surprised that Carl Banks criticized his game on a podcast instead of discussing his thoughts with Lawrence:
“Yeah, those were strong words, but if that’s how he feels, then f–k it.”
Lawrence was then asked if those words meant more because… pic.twitter.com/wkpMLzOUX5
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) October 29, 2025
“Those are strong words, but that’s how you feel? F— it,” Lawrence said. When asked if his critiques meant more given what Banks has meant to the franchise, Lawrence said, “he’s delusional.”
Banks would know as well as anyone that him not coming to Lawrence first and calling him out on a podcast isn’t going to sit well with the current crop of players. Having that kind of divide can’t be healthy for any team, especially one that has had as much recent drama as the Giants.
A feud like this between a top player and team analyst is incredibly rare, especially in modern media. You never see a home team announcer turn against a player and directly call them out like this. It takes some kind of job security to be willing to call out a top player in such a blunt, forthright way. But clearly Carl Banks has built up enough credit over the years with the Giants franchise to say what he wants, when he wants, no matter who it may offend. Even if it’s in the Giants locker room.