Giants Rookie Abdul Carter Benched Again for Team Rules Violation: “I Let My Team Down”
Abdul Carter’s rookie season in New York has hit another bump in the road - and this one has nothing to do with missed tackles or blown coverages. For the second time in three games, the Giants’ first-round pick found himself on the bench to start the game, this time for reportedly violating team rules.
Carter, the No. 3 overall pick out of Penn State, didn’t take the field until the second quarter of the Giants’ 33-15 loss to the Patriots on Monday night. By the time he stepped between the lines, New York was already in a 17-0 hole against Drake Maye and the New England offense. The damage was done, and Carter knew it.
“I let my team down,” the 22-year-old linebacker said postgame. “I take responsibility for that. I have to do better.”
While neither Carter nor interim head coach Mike Kafka offered specifics, Kafka made it clear the decision to bench the rookie was his. “My decision,” Kafka said when asked about the move.
Carter, for his part, didn’t shy away from the accountability - even if he kept the details vague. “S*** happens,” he said.
“I’m not going to get into details.”
Reports from multiple outlets shed more light on the situation. According to ESPN, Carter was late to a team obligation.
The New York Post added that he missed all or part of a scheduled team responsibility, which triggered the disciplinary action. Whatever the exact infraction, it was enough to keep him off the field for the Patriots’ first two drives.
This isn’t the first time Carter’s punctuality - or lack thereof - has cost him. Last month, he was benched for the opening drive against the Packers after missing a walk-through.
At the time, Carter said he was in a therapy bed at the team facility as part of his recovery routine, denying that he had fallen asleep. But he acknowledged that he had made a mistake.
“I already know that whatever I do is going to have consequences,” Carter said after that incident. “That was the consequence - have to live with it, keep playing.”
Now, with another benching under his belt, Carter’s adjustment to the NFL spotlight is under scrutiny. When asked if the transition to the pro level has been a challenge, he didn’t duck the question.
“I guess you can say that,” he said. “But I’m not going to use that as an excuse.
I have to be better. I have to take pride in what I do, be where I have to be.
Simple as that.”
Inside the Giants’ locker room, there’s a clear sense that Carter’s teammates want to see him grow from these moments - and fast. Veteran defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II didn’t mince words when discussing Carter’s situation.
“Just grow up,” Lawrence said bluntly. “You got to stay on [young players], and you got to help them learn from these mistakes.”
But Lawrence wasn’t speaking from a place of judgment - more like experience. “We all made them,” he added.
“We’ve all been late. We’ve all had moments like that.
But you just got to learn from them... you got to be a pro and know where you got to be and when you got to be there.”
For Carter, the message is clear. Talent got him to the NFL. Accountability will determine how far he goes.