Giants Rookie Abdul Carter Breaks Silence on Controversial Walk-Through Incident Before Packers Game Benchings

The New York Giants find themselves in a bit of a stir after rookie Abdul Carter was reportedly benched for the initial defensive snap during their Sunday showdown against the Green Bay Packers. Rumors swirling about Carter dozing off during a vital team walk-through had fans and media buzzing — but the young pass rusher quickly stepped in to clear the air, insisting it wasn’t sleep but recovery that kept him off the field momentarily. Interim head coach Mike Kafka’s decision to sideline Carter has sparked conversation, especially following reports that tardiness was an ongoing issue under former coach Brian Daboll. While Carter acknowledges a slip-up, he vehemently denies the narrative painted by some insiders. With a 2-9 record weighing heavy on the Giants this season, every detail counts as they look ahead to their clash with the Detroit Lions in Week 12. LEARN MORE

New York Giants rookie Abdul Carter has denied reports that he was benched for the start of Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers because he slept through a team walk-through.

Under first-week interim head coach Mike Kafka, Carter was benched for New York’s first defensive series against Green Bay. Per The Athletic and ESPN, Carter was sidelined for that series as discipline because he was asleep at the team facility when the Giants conducted a walk-through in preparation for the game.

Carter, a first-round draft pick, responded to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan on social media Monday denying that his benching was due to being asleep.

“Was not sleep, actually doing recovery,” Carter wrote. “Nonetheless that’s on ME!

He then added this:

When the hate don’t work they start telling lies!

— Abdul Carter (@1NCRDB1) November 17, 2025

The Athletic cited team sources in its report. Per the report, Carter being late to meetings had become a trend under head coach Brian Daboll, whom the Giants fired last week. Per the report, Kafka disciplined Carter on his first week on the job for a violation after Daboll had declined to do so.

Kafka did not address the reason for Carter’s brief benching in his postgame comments with reporters.

“I love Abdul and what he brings to this team, the skill set he has … this guy loves ball,” Kafka said, per NJ.com. “And I’m excited again to watch him attack this week of practice, and continue to work and grow and be the great player that I think he is.”

Abdul Carter denies reports that he slept through a team walk-through.

(Perry Knotts via Getty Images)

Per The Athletic, Carter initially acknowledged that he “made a mistake” that resulted in his benching in his own postgame comments.

“I made a mistake during the week that was detrimental to the team,” Carter said. “That was the consequence, so (I) had to live with it.”

The Giants selected Carter out of Penn State with the No. 3 pick in April’s NFL Draft, anticipating that he would develop into a high-end pass rusher. So far, his career is off to a slow start.

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In 11 games, Carter has record half a sack and a single tackle for loss in addition to 23 total tackles, 9 quarterback hits and 1 fumble recovery. He played the remainder of Sunday’s game after missing the first series, recording one sack and one quarterback hit.

The Giants are off to a 2-9 start, which is the worst record in the NFC. They’ll face the Detroit Lions next in Week 12.