As a Manhattan jury deliberates in the manslaughter trial of Daniel Penny, who killed homeless man Jordan Neely on a New York subway in 2023, former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason has weighed in on the case.
On his morning show, “Boomer & Gio,” which airs on New York’s WFAN radio and is simulcast on the CBS Sports Network, Esiason called on the jury to acquit Penny, whom he described as “a hero.”
Esiason was born in East Islip, a town in the New York suburb of Long Island. Penny is from neighboring West Islip.
A Deadly Subway Encounter
On May 1, 2023, Penny placed Neely in a chokehold for six minutes, prosecutors say, killing him.
Neely was behaving erratically on an uptown New York City F train. Witnesses said he made threats of self-harm and threatened to harm others.
Penny intervened, putting Neely in a chokehold — a tactic he learned in basic training. The New York City medical examiner concluded that the chokehold was the cause of Neely’s death.
Neely had a history of severe mental health issues after his mother’s brutal murder as well as a long record of arrests and involuntary hospitalizations. He also had drugs in his system.
The use of chokeholds by law enforcement has been controversial since the 2014 killing of Eric Garner by a New York City Police officer. Garner screamed, “I can’t breathe!” repeatedly in his final living minutes.
In 2021, the Department of Justice banned federal law enforcement from using chokeholds, “unless deadly force is authorized.”
Some passengers hailed Penny as a hero, while others said he placed the chokehold for too long. The Penny case touches on many sensitive issues: crime, mental health, public safety, and race. Penny is white. Neely was black.
Boomer’s Defense of Penny
Esiason told listeners that his fellow Long Islander is “a hero on trial.” He added, “I don’t even know what they’re deliberating over.”
Penny, Esiason said, “is being railroaded and he better be found innocent.”
The former “The NFL Today” analyst said that a conviction of Penny would dissuade future bystanders from intervening in dangerous situations.
Esiason described the death of Neely as unfortunate, but was also dismissive of those calling for Penny’s conviction, describing them as people who are “screaming and yelling on the other side.”
Hope for a Hollywood Ending
Esiason said, “The right thing [to do] is to totally acquit this young man and let him live his life and go on and live his life.”
He expressed hope that Penny “writes a book about” his experience, adding, “I hope they make a movie about it. I hope he makes tens of millions of dollars because of it.”
Boomer Politics
Esiason, who spent most of his career as a quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, spent three seasons with the New York Jets.
He says he is a registered independent, though his politics tend to lean right. He publicly criticized former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for his decision to kneel during the national anthem, calling it “disgraceful.”
“Before you open your mouth again, maybe you should take a ride in a police car on Friday or Saturday night in one of these major urban cities in America. Just go on a couple of 9-1-1 calls. Maybe then you can get an idea of what these people, making $35,000 a year, have to deal with. Maybe you’ll realize how screwed up society is, first and foremost, before you point the finger at the people in blue.”
Boomer Esiason’s message to Colin Kaepernick in 2016
Esiason celebrated President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in November, stating, “I’m very happy for four reasons: they’re my four grandkids. That’s why I’m happy. I’m happy that — I believe — that we will get back on track, and it will be good for everyone.”
He and his wife Cheryl have only two federal political donations on record: $2,300 contributions each to Rudy Giuliani’s 2007 presidential bid.
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