Giants safety Antrel Rolle works with combat veterans

Less than a week after he put his foot in his mouth by comparing the Giants being booed by their fans to booing the troops coming home from Iraq, Antrel Rolle worked side-by-side with veterans packing care packages.

“It was great. It was great,” Rolle said. “It was an opportunity, a way to show a small token of our appreciation for what they do for us. Of course we can never put ourselves in their positions, but it always good for them to come home and have welcoming gifts, especially around the holidays.”

Rolle was one of eight Giants players who went to JCPenney’s in Herald Square Tuesday night to help out with “Combat to Career,” sponsored by Joseph Abboud. The players, including Kevin Boss, Corey Webster and Shaun O’Hara, made packages that included things like umbrellas, makeup and shaving kits to help returning veterans transition back into civilian life.

Rolle said he had been scheduled to appear at the event before his comments about the troops last week.

“That didn’t have anything to do with it,” Rolle said. “None.”

In trying to clarify his comments criticizing fans for booing the in the Nov. 27 win over the Jaguars, he compared it to the troops being booed.

“We risk ourselves out there on the field each and every day also. When soldiers come home from Iraq you don’t boo them. I look at it the same way. I take my job seriously.”

Hours later, Rolle clarified his comments.

“Obviously, there is no comparison between the men and women of our military putting their life on the line defending our country and what I do,” Rolle said in a statement issued by the team. “They risk their lives and that gives me the opportunity to play a game for a living.”

Click here to order Antrel Rolle’s proCane Rookie Card.



(nydailynews.com)