Abdul Carter breaks silence on why he was benched in Week 11 by the Giants

Even a coaching change could bring the New York Giants good fortune, as their 27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday brought their record to 2-9 on the year. The defense once again faltered under coordinator Shane Bowen, as they blew yet another lead in the fourth quarter.

But in that game, fans and reporters were quick to point out that first-round pick Abdul Carter was not on the field during the Giants' defense's opening drive. Interim head coach Mike Kafka said the decision to bench Carter early in the game was disciplinary, but said he wanted to keep details in-house.

The Athletic's Dan Duggan reported on Monday that Carter was benched because he missed a walkthrough practice due to sleeping at the team facility. This isn't what fans like to hear, especially about a team that is out of the playoff picture again and in search of a new head coach.

Carter took to X to clarify the report, saying that he didn't miss the practice due to sleeping. Rather, Carter said he was "doing recovery," but took full responsibility for missing the walkthrough.

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

Abdul Carter clarifies report that he slept through practice leading to Giants benching

Carter may have corrected the report, but he did take full accountability for missing out on practice, resulting in him missing the first six plays of the game on defense.

The report did detail a concerning trend for Carter. Duggan reports that Carter has frequently been late to team meetings during his rookie season, and former head coach Brian Daboll "let it slide." Kafka, in his first week as interim head coach, disciplined Carter for missing a practice despite being at the facility.

Carter was viewed as one of the top overall prospects in the NFL Draft, and with Cam Ward and Travis Hunter being off the board, the Giants opted to draft Carter despite their need for a quarterback, which they would address later in the first round by trading up for Jaxson Dart. Hearing that Carter is late for meetings during his rookie season isn't great to hear. But it does sound like he's taking the punishment to heart.

This season, Carter has 23 tackles, nine quarterback hits, one fumble recovery, and 0.5 sacks through 11 games. While Carter doesn't have the sack total, he is still putting tremendous pressure on the opposing quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Carter has 35 total pressures and 26 quarterback hurries.

Giants fans certainly hope that Carter will use his benching this past Sunday as a learning experience.