New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter (C), the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, totaled a half sack through the first 11 appearances of his career. File Photo by Paul Kieu/UPI | License Photo
New York Giants rookie Abdul Carter denies that he slept through a team walk-through, contradicting reports chronicling why he missed the session.
Carter was benched for the opening series of the Giants’ 27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J. Giants interim coach Mike Kafka told reporters that the move was a “coach’s decision,” but kept his reasoning “in-house.”
Sources told The Athletic, ESPN and the New York Post on Monday that Carter was asleep at the Giants facility, which led to his walk-through absence.
“Was not sleep, actually doing recovery,” Carter wrote on X in response to The Athletic report. “Nonetheless, that’s on me!”
He followed that post by writing: “When the hate don’t work they start telling lies.” Carter later deleted both posts, but later spoke to ESPN and again denied the reports. The rookie linebacker also denied a report that stated being late to meetings had become a trend.
“My mistake was an honest mistake,” Carter told ESPN. “I own the fact that it was an honest mistake. I was getting treatment and I told coach Kafka that, too.
“But to say I was sleeping at that time just wasn’t true. And it also wasn’t a trend. This was the only time it happened.”
Carter totaled one tackle in Sunday’s loss. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft logged 23 combined tackles, nine quarterback hits, a tackle for a loss, a fumble recovery and a half sack through his first 11 appearances in the league.
The Giants (2-9) will face the Detroit Lions (6-4) at 1 p.m. EST Sunday in Detroit.
