New York Giants’ public relations head Pat Hanlon did not hold back in his criticism of ESPN host Elle Duncan after she mocked former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones for his emotional farewell to the team. Duncan’s comments, which aired Thursday night, came during her segment “Taking the Elle” and drew the ire of Hanlon, who found her remarks both condescending and insensitive.
On Thursday, Daniel Jones read a prepared farewell letter, marking the end of his time with the Giants after he was demoted to fourth-string quarterback and ultimately released by the franchise. The heartfelt letter was Jones’ first public statement since being benched, and he expressed his gratitude toward the team and fans. “There have been some great times, but, of course, we all wish there had been more of those,” Jones said. “I take full responsibility for my part in not bringing more wins. No one wanted to win those games worse than me. I gave everything I had.”
Duncan, however, used her platform to mock Jones for the sincerity of his statement. During Thursday’s segment, Duncan displayed exaggerated facial expressions and made comments intended to belittle Jones.
She began her segment by setting the tone, saying, “We normally reserve ‘Taking the Elle’ for Fridays, but Giants quarterback Daniel Jones just did something so inexplicable that we made an exception.”
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Duncan, with her voice dripping in sarcasm, mimicked Jones, calling out the fact that he gave his farewell with seven games left in the season. “After being benched this week, Jones took to the podium to say goodbye to the franchise and fans, but with, like, seven games left in the season,” she said, intentionally mocking the tone of someone speaking through tears.
She then made a snide remark about Jones reading from a prepared script. “I’m sorry, you have to write this down? Didn’t you go to Duke?” Duncan said, referencing Jones’ alma mater with a “yikes” expression. The host continued by implying that Jones’ farewell statement was rehearsed for years: “Do you guys think he had this saved in his notes since, like, 2020?”
To further drive home her point, Duncan proceeded to read her own version of a mock farewell speech from a piece of paper. “In all seriousness, DJ, I could have saved you like 90 seconds. A re-write: ‘Sorry you paid me $180 million for one playoff win and I look forward to reviving my career as Brock Purdy’s backup.’ The end.” Duncan finished the segment by laughing openly, clearly finding her own parody of Jones’ farewell amusing.
Duncan’s comedic takedown of Jones didn’t sit well with everyone, especially not with Pat Hanlon, the Giants’ PR boss, who quickly voiced his frustration on social media. “That an #ESPN personality would mock Daniel Jones’ statement today is mind-boggling,” Hanlon tweeted Thursday. He seemed to allude to ESPN’s own struggles, including mass layoffs, by adding, “Given what has happened at that company over the past few years, tone deaf.”
Hanlon’s comments captured the sentiment of many who felt that Duncan’s remarks were out of line, especially considering the circumstances surrounding Jones’ release.
For Jones, it was the end of a challenging chapter, and the prepared statement was an attempt to offer some closure to both himself and Giants fans. Duncan’s mocking of his farewell was perceived by some as kicking a man when he was already down.
The Giants’ decision to release Jones came just a day after his emotional statement. It marked the end of the quarterback’s turbulent tenure with the team.
Drafted sixth overall in 2019, Jones struggled to find consistency and faced intense criticism from fans and analysts alike. The 2022 season had offered a glimmer of hope, with Jones leading the Giants to a playoff victory, but the team regressed in 2023, and Jones’ performance fell short of expectations.
On Friday, Duncan doubled down on her comments, this time during an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take.” She addressed the backlash she had received following her segment and stood by her words, again using a mocking tone. “I cannot look at my mentions right now, they are big mad at me, calling me all kinds of names, calling me out my name, calling me names you would never say to Pastor Ryan Clark on a Sunday,” Duncan said, referencing her ESPN colleague.
Duncan then defended her stance, saying, “Here’s the deal: You can be mad all you want, I thought it was a little bit silly he was doing a farewell speech with seven games left in the season. I also thought it was silly that he needed to write down some boilerplate stuff like, ‘Thank you to the fans.’”
Duncan continued, pointing out what she saw as hypocrisy in the outrage against her. “But you want to call me disrespectful to Daniel Jones? I’m more disrespectful than the Giants making him a scout-team safety? Am I more disrespectful than all those same fans that are in my mentions right now who booed him mercilessly for the last six seasons? No. I’m not the one who threw 47 interceptions. I’m not the one who overpaid someone who we knew was probably not going to be the guy to carry your franchise to glory the way that you thought.”
“But if you want to make me your scapegoat, you want to be pissed at me, go for it. I stand by everything that I said,” Duncan concluded.
Duncan’s comments have sparked a mixed reaction from fans. Some applauded her for calling out Jones and offering a humorous take on what they viewed as an unnecessary farewell speech. Others, however, felt that Duncan crossed the line, displaying a lack of empathy for an athlete at a low point in his career.
For Daniel Jones, his time with the Giants has officially come to an end. After being demoted to a scout-team safety and then to fourth-string quarterback, the franchise ultimately chose to release him.
The quarterback expressed his appreciation for the opportunity and took accountability for his shortcomings, something that some fans and his teammates have respected him for. “I take full responsibility for my part in not bringing more wins. No one wanted to win those games worse than me. I gave everything I had,” Jones said in his farewell.
As the dust settles, it’s clear that Daniel Jones’ departure from the Giants has been anything but quiet. Whether it’s Duncan’s cutting remarks or Hanlon’s fierce defense, the end of the Jones era in New York has stirred emotions across the board.
And as Jones prepares for the next chapter of his career, he does so with the knowledge that he left everything on the field—even if, to some, that wasn’t quite enough.
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