New York Giants rookie Abdul Carter knows he has a lot of growing up to do after his sophomore season.
“I’m learning a lot as far as just being a man, being in the NFL, just going through it,” he said Tuesday before the Giants’ bye week. “I’m learning a lot and I’m glad I went through it so I can be better prepared in the future.”
Carter was benched for the first quarter of Monday’s loss to New England, the second time this season the club has taken the No. 3 overall pick. The club did not announce the reason for the benching other than that it was the decision of coach Mike Kafka.
Carter has taken criticism from his own teammates, with captain Dexter Lawrence calling him “hard-headed.”
“Just maturing, really,” Lawrence said, calling the issues “young stuff that can’t happen.”
Carter was asked how he reacts when a teammate calls him out.
“I take it. The guys that say that, they’re guys that I look up to, guys that I respect,” he said. “So, if they say something like that, I’m going to look at myself first, like, ‘OK, what am I doing? How can I get better?” and prove to them that I can earn their respect and go out and be who I’m meant to be.”