ESPN’s Elle Duncan sparked controversy with a segment on Thursday during “SportsCenter” that didn’t sit well with some in the New York Giants organization and their fans.
During the segment titled ‘Taking the Elle,’ Duncan poked fun at Daniel Jones for starting his farewell press conference with a prepared statement.
“We usually save ‘Taking the Elle’ for Fridays, but Giants quarterback Daniel Jones did something so strange that we had to make an exception. After being benched this week, Jones stood at the podium to bid farewell to the team and fans with still seven games left in the season,” Duncan said, mockingly.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Host Elle Duncan speaks during the 2024 espnW New York Summit at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge on May 9, 2024, in Brooklyn, New York. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
“Seriously? He had to read that off a paper? Isn’t he a Duke graduate?” Duncan questioned, incredulously.
“Do you think he had this scripted since 2020? In all honesty, DJ, I could have condensed that to 90 seconds. A revised version: ‘Apologies for the $108 million you paid me for just one playoff win. Looking forward to serving as Brock Purdy’s backup.’ The end,” concluded Duncan.
The Giants’ senior V.P. of communications, Pat Hanlon, criticized Duncan’s segment and took a swipe at ESPN in a post on X on Thursday night.
“It’s baffling that an #ESPN personality would mock Daniel Jones today. Given recent events at that company, this is tone-deaf,” Hanlon stated.
DANIEL JONES BIDS FAREWELL TO GIANTS, SHOULDERS BLAME FOR TEAM’S STRUGGLES: ‘I’M 100% ACCOUNTABLE FOR MY PART’
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) passes the ball against the Washington Commanders during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Munson)
The Giants decided to part ways with Jones on Friday, and during a fiery critique of the Giants on “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith mentioned that the team had contacted ESPN to express their dissatisfaction with Duncan’s segment.
Responding to some of the upset fans on X, Duncan posted a comeback on Saturday morning.
“It snowed this morning after a surprising amount of snow on my drive yesterday. Looks like I can’t avoid all these snowflakes…”
One X user replied, “Standing by your lack of class suits you. Not a Giants fan, but if this is the state of ‘sports media,’ you fit right in.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) escapes from Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Isaiah Thomas (51) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Another X user chimed in, “Enjoy your brief moment in the spotlight before fading into obscurity by Sunday, you hack.”
Tommy DeVito will start for the Giants in their upcoming game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Drew Lock as the backup quarterback.
Jones will be free to sign with a new team as early as next Tuesday, pending clearance from waivers on Monday.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
