New York Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka benched linebacker Abdul Carter for the first quarter of his team’s 33-15 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday, December 1, after the first-round pick was late for a team activity.
When asked why he was disciplined for the second time in three weeks, Carter, 22, told the media, “S*** happens. I’m not going to get into details. S*** happens.”
Carter’s benching comes two weeks after Kafka, 38, sat him for the opening drive of the Giants’ 27-20 home loss to the Green Bay Packers after he missed a pregame walkthrough.
“I made a mistake during the week that was detrimental to the team,” Carter said at the time, per ESPN. “That was the consequence of it. Got to live with it.”
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Kafka said repeatedly after Monday night’s game that benching Carter was “my decision.”
“Listen, when he came back in the game, you saw the kind of impact he had and the player this guy is,” Kafka said. “This is a kid that I, again, I back. I support this kid highly. And for any young player that we have on the roster, whether it’s Abdul or any rookie or young player, we’re going to make sure we take him under our wing and continue to develop these guys because they’re important to us. They’re important to me.”
Carter is a rookie out of Penn State and was the No. 3 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft after being named a unanimous All-American as a senior. Though he has transitioned well on the field, he admitted that the off-field responsibilities have been an adjustment.
“I’m not going to use that as an excuse,” said Carter, who has racked up 31 tackles so far this season. “Like I said, I have to be better. I have to take pride in what I do, be where I have to be at. Simple as that.”
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On Monday, Carter missed the Patriots’ first three drives and by the time he entered the game, the Giants were already trailing 17-0.
“I let my team down [Monday night],” Carter added. “I take responsibility for that. I have to do better.”
With Carter on the bench to start the game, his teammates had to shoulder a larger load. Sixth-year nose tackle Dexter Lawrence called the rookie’s tardiness “frustrating.”
“But you got to stay on [young players], and you got to help them learn from these mistakes,” Lawrence, 28, said. “And we all made them. We’ve all been late. We’ve all had moments like that. But you just got to learn from them.”
“Hardheaded, man. Hardheaded,” Lawrence added about his teammate. “I don’t know. And I mean, to his defense, the schedule is kind of shaky a little bit. But you got to be a pro and know where you got to be and when you got to be there.”
Giants’ defensive captain Brian Burns added that he believes Carter has learned his lesson.
“I think it got through,” he said. “I think it was just an honest mistake.”
The Giants are just 2-11 on the season and have been eliminated from playoff contention with four games left to play. Now in their bye week, New York will return to the field on December 14 at home against the Washington Commanders.
