Abdul Carter’s latest benching points to lack of accountability for Giants rookie

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - It's unacceptable from an established veteran. It's unfathomable from a rookie. For the second time in three weeks, the Giants benched linebacker Abdul Carter for violating team rules.

The first came after Carter slept through a walkthrough before the Giants' game against the Packers, a team source confirmed. This time, according to the New York Post, he missed a team responsibility. Those weren't isolated incidents, either. A team source said Carter has repeatedly shown up late to meetings throughout the season.

It's an alarming pattern that points to a troubling lack of accountability for the rookie linebacker -- and it's starting to hurt the Giants.

S--t happens," Carter said.

To his credit, Carter eventually accepted responsibility for his latest absence. It took several questions, but he acknowledged he let my team down," noting the 10 points New England scored while he was off the field. He said he felt sick to [his] stomach" on the sideline and needed to be better."

The words sound good. They always have. But why believe this time?

Tardiness isn't new. Missing activities isn't new. Under former coach Brian Daboll, a lack of accountability permeated the locker room, and Carter often benefited from that looseness. His first benching was viewed internally as a positive sign - a signal that interim coach Mike Kafka, who declined to offer details beyond saying the decision was his, would take a firmer approach.

But Carter responding to that discipline with another infraction two weeks later speaks louder than anything he might say. His actions, not his words, tell the story -- and the story is getting more concerning.

Everyone has different challenges -- I had mine, he's dealing with his," edge rusher Brian Burns said. I think it's just an honest mistake. He's human. He makes mistakes. At the end of the day, he does have to be a pro. He does have to take accountability -- which he did for what happened. I'm just trying to help him be the best he can and get him through his rookie campaign."

Concerns existed during Carter's draft evaluation. On the field, he was considered one of the most physically gifted defenders in the class, posting 12 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss in his final season at Penn State. Off the field, though, scouts questioned his maturity and consistency. Several evaluators believed he would need a strong organizational structure around him to reinforce professional habits.

You knew you'd have to deal with some BS," one coach who scouted him said. A scout added that Carter sometimes acted as if certain rules didn't apply to him. He was never belligerent" or disrespectful," one general manager said, but teams flagged the need for oversight.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) runs the ball against New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter (51) during the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The problem for the Giants is that early-season missteps were tolerated far too often, leaving the interim staff to play catch-up. And so far, they've failed to pull Carter back on track.

Just grow up, really," defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said. I think he loves football. He takes it seriously, and his approach to the game is really good. Just young stuff that can't happen."

Fair or not, the tolerance level is lower when the production isn't there. Sunday's loss to the Patriots was in Week 13 -- and Carter's sack of Drake Maye on a third-down scramble was his first full sack of the season. The rookie has 1.5 sacks overall, along with 31 tackles and 13 quarterback hits. For a player drafted to be an immediate impact pass rusher and viewed as a Rookie of the Year frontrunner, he's been largely invisible.

Carter admitted that adjusting to NFL life off the field has been more challenging" than he expected. But even he said that's no excuse.

Combine the underwhelming production with repeated violations of team rules, and the Giants have a significant problem - one without an obvious solution.

The lone positive: this appears to be a Carter-specific issue, not a team-wide one. He's far from the only rookie on the roster, but he is the only one disciplined multiple times for violating team rules.

The Giants hope the message eventually sinks in. That this isn't how you handle your business. That this isn't how you earn trust.

But right now, words aren't enough.

Seeing is believing.

And Carter hasn't offered any evidence he's ready to turn the corner yet.