Jackson Dart, the Giants quarterback, might be a recognizable name to many, but not everyone is in the loop.
Take American Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher, for example. She recently admitted on her podcast, “House of Maher,” that she didn’t know who Dart was when she met him at a Super Bowl party back in February.
“So, I went to this party during the Super Bowl, and there were quite a few people who seemed like they were from the Giants,” Maher shared with her sisters, Olivia and Adrianna. “There was this guy, sort of blonde, young, attractive—I thought, ‘Who’s this guy?’”
She went on, “So, I asked him, ‘Do you play soccer?’”
Even after Dart said he played for the Giants, she kept pressing. “I asked him, ‘What team do you play for?’ I mean, it was a Giants (Cam) Skatebo party, you know?” She added, “And then I was like, ‘What position do you play?’”
Only when Dart replied that he was the quarterback did Maher realize her mistake.
“Honestly, I don’t know how, but he definitely knew who I was,” she mentioned, almost in disbelief.
At 29, Maher has represented the U.S. in rugby at both the 2020 Tokyo and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Recently, she’s expressed her disappointment towards her former school, Quinnipiac University, after it decided to cut its NCAA women’s rugby program.
According to a statement from Quinnipiac, this decision was part of a need to realign the athletics program in a way that supports long-term goals—financially and concerning Title IX compliance.
“Making these kinds of choices is never easy, but it’s crucial for the future equity, competitiveness, and sustainability of Quinnipiac Athletics,” said Greg Amodio, the Director of Athletics.
In response to this news, Maher took to social media, posting on her Instagram Story, “Shame on you,” and tagging her school’s athletics account.
Graduating in 2018, Maher led Quinnipiac to the National Collegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) for three consecutive years and has been recognized as an NIRA All-American three times as well.
She also achieved a bronze medal with Team USA in Rugby Sevens at the recent Paris Games.
