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--> All artwork for this Jets' Mount Rushmore series is being done by Elliot Gerard. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. His artwork can also be seen here at ElliotGerard.com <--

There have been few who have made the impact on the New York Jets organization this year than Carl. Maybe general manager Joe Douglas. But it is a close call.

The story of Carl is a sad one. And it very nearly landed him on the Jets’ Mount Rushmore.

Little is known about Carl up until two months ago. He doesn’t have a last name and only appears in one episode of HBO’s critically acclaimed ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm.’ But it was enough to make an impact.

Created and directed by Larry David, himself a huge fan of the Jets, episode seven of season 10 of ‘Curb’ opens with David and his cohorts playing golf then going for lunch. During this lunch the character of Carl, who has never been seen let alone mentioned in any other episode, gets distressing news about the Jets.

The episode aired on HBO on March 1.

Jets-Rushmore-Carl

Carl receives an alert on his phone that Jets running back Le’Veon Bell is out for the season with an injury. He goes on a rant about the loss of Bell and the contract the Jets gave him, saying “The season is over before it even started” and then burying his head into his hands.

Later on in the episode, David gets a phone call from his manager and friend Jeff Green where he learns that Carl had killed himself. David also learned that Carl’s suicide note read “I can’t take any more disappointment.” David draws the connection that this is the same thing Carl used to say while the two watched Jets games together.

“And they just keep losing and it kept eating at him and eating at him,” David tells Green on the phone call.

“And he couldn’t take any more disappointment. The Jets killed Carl…and a little bit of the Knicks.”

The storyline follows the Jets role in Carl’s life through several other plot twists, an interwoven running gag about the team’s struggles and the agita it causes their loyal fans.

And while Carl doesn’t make Mount Rushmore, he belongs to be considered as a candidate because he so embodies the hurt and disappointment many of the Jets faithful have felt over the decades. Jets fans are a special breed and loyal. Carl was no different.

And while embodied this passion and love for his team, he ended up not being selected alongside Joe Namath, Curtis Martin or Darrelle Revis. The fourth name will be unveiled shortly, but sadly for Carl’s memory it won’t be his face on the Jets’ Mount Rushmore. We know precious little about Carl or his fandom. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the Jets’ Mount Rushmore.

Perhaps though, there is a spot for him on the Mount Rushmore of the Knicks.

--> All artwork for this series is being done by Elliot Gerard. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. His artwork can also be seen here at ElliotGerard.com <--