Giants' Jaxson Dart pays emotional tribute to fired coach Brian Daboll

New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, fresh off clearing concussion protocol on Thanksgiving, finally broke his silence Friday on the firing of head coach Brian Daboll -- a move that hit especially hard while Dart was sidelined and muzzled by NFL rules.

Dart, who suffered a concussion during the Giants' Week 10 loss to the Chicago Bears, was prohibited from speaking to reporters amid the mandatory protocol. Just one day after the injury, on the following Monday, the Giants abruptly dismissed Daboll, the coach who had mentored Dart since his draft-day arrival and forged a deep personal bond with the young signal-caller.

Addressing the media for the first time since the upheaval, Dart opened with a heartfelt acknowledgment.

"I just want to open with something real quick," he said. "Obviously, there's been a lot that's happened since I've been up here, and I just want to acknowledge Coach Dabs and all that he did for me. Just when I look back on everything, it's really special to come to a place where a coach genuinely cares about you and loves you, and you have that personal relationship on and off the field.

"I just have all the respect in the world for him. I think he's an incredible offensive mind. He's done an amazing job developing me up to this point. This business is a beast, man, and give a shoutout to Coach Shane (Bowen) as well. Unfortunately, we just weren't able to get enough wins for them. But at the same time, got a lot of respect for them, and Coach Dabs, who knows if I'm here without him, so I've got all the respect and love for him."

When pressed on the personal toll -- experiencing the firing while injured and isolated in protocol -- Dart didn't hold back.

"Yeah, it sucked," he admitted. "Like I said, I have a lot of love for Coach Dabs, and we're really close, so to kind of see it go down that way, especially my rookie year, it was hard. So, just trying to control what I can control, take the next steps, but just wish we could have done more as players to get more wins for him."

Dart's words underscore the raw underbelly of the NFL, where loyalty clashes with the relentless pursuit of results. The Giants, mired in a dismal 2-10 season, parted ways with Daboll and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen in a bid for a reset.

For Dart, it's a bitter lesson in his debut season, but one he's channeling into resolve.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Jaxson Dart pays emotional tribute to fired coach Brian Daboll