Malik Nabers said he wants to be a role model for young fans, and then he made himself an example of accountability.
The Giants are off to an 0-2 start despite Nabers’ breakout game of 10 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown last Sunday in a 21-18 loss to the Commanders.
The rookie receiver also dropped a late fourth-down pass that might have allowed the Giants to move into position for the winning score.
“It’s hard to wash that kind of thing away,” Nabers told The Post on Tuesday night. “Once you look back on the record, you are going to feel like one of those losses was mine. I’m going to continue to move forward, get better and work on how I cannot drop that pass again.”
Nabers was speaking as a co-host of the VIP kickoff reception for the “NY Team of Heroes” Gala that will be held Dec. 9 and is expected to raise $2 million to benefit the SBH Health System (St. Barnabas Hospital) in The Bronx.
His work with the not-for-profit Safety Net Hospital is his first major charity association in New York.
“It means a lot,” Nabers said. “When I got drafted here, I said I was going to try to get in the community and be in as many things as I can do to help New York. The focal point is helping kids out and trying to be the bigger person they can look up to and become either just like me [an athlete] or find a different route.”
Nabers lost seven total games over his last two seasons at LSU.
There is outside chatter that the Giants could lose that many before he gets his first NFL win given the difficulty of the schedule ahead, which resumes Sunday against the Browns.
There is “positivity” in the locker room, however.
“Adversity is going to hit, but how you overcome it is the main thing,” Nabers said. “When I watch my film, there are a lot of things I can do more, like chasing down the ball. When the ball popped out on [Devin Singletary’s] fumble I was in the back. If I was following the ball, I probably could’ve picked that ball up. Just putting in more effort when I’m on the field.”
No one should be questioning Nabers’ effort after he accounted for the largest single-game target share (18 of Daniel Jones’ 28 passes) by any NFL receiver in nine years, according to CBS Sports.
“Right now I’m here and I’m living my dream,” Nabers said. “I showed that I can compete with the guys in the league. I’m going to continue working hard to help the team win.”