New York Giants rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito will make his first career start in Philadelphia on Christmas Day against the Eagles and he’s not expecting a loving, festive crowd.
DeVito knows he’ll be walking into Lincoln Financial Field as the enemy and he fully expects Philly fans to live up (down?) to their reputation.
“I heard it’s a pretty hostile environment, I’m looking forward to it. I like to thrive in those environments,” DeVito told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s fun. It’s part of the game. I like a hostile crowd.”
Hostile it will be. But DeVito doesn’t intend to back down, claiming he will return every “Merry Christmas” he receives.
“Hey, I’ll say Merry Christmas right back and that’s that,” he said.
DeVito is no stranger to hostile environments. Having grown up in New Jersey and attended Don Bosco Prep, he knows a thing or two about rowdy crowds — and how they can sometimes take aim at family members.
“A Bergen-Bosco game,” DeVito said when asked about the most hostile crowd he’s played in front of. “You ever seen one of those? 15,000 in the crowd, don’t go well. For your family and all.”
The only difference in Philly is that it will be a crowd of nearly 68,000 as opposed to 15,000. DeVito’s parents and his agent, Sean Stellato, will absolutely not be spared.
