CB Beal defensive over gun charge details
Sam Beal claimed Monday that a lot of the reporting on his guilty plea for two gun-related charges in Ohio “wasn’t true,” but he declined to clarify how.
The Giants corner, clawing for a roster spot after a 2020 opt-out, said he “just want[s] to be a part of this team” and is “glad to be back with the Giants.” He said he told the Giants the real story behind his June 2020 arrest, and now he wants to move on.
“Anybody in that position would want to explain themselves,” Beal said. “Because if things didn’t happen the way they should’ve, of course you would want them to know your side of the story, what really happened. So of course I talked to a bunch of coaches, let them know what my side of the story was.
“A lot of guys on social media, reporters and stuff, they had a story and didn’t necessarily have the true facts of [it],” Beal added. “I would have loved for you guys to ask me first about what really happened instead of going off what somebody else said, because a lot of the things you guys said wasn’t true.”
Asked if he wished to clarify the details of his guilty plea, Beal said: “It’s kinda too late now, so I’ll just let you guys go about it how you guys go about it.”
Court records showed that Beal entered a pre-trial diversion program that would allow him to expunge the conviction from his record if he complied with all terms and conditions of the adult probation department through June 3, 2022.
He was ordered to pay court costs and court-appointed attorney fees, as well.
He opted out of the 2020 NFL season on Aug. 5, 2020, and was indicted on the gun charges Aug. 13, 2020. His opt-out made him eligible for a $150,000 stipend
deducted from his $851,118 salary, which tolled into 2021.
Beal admitted his legal situation was part of his decision to opt out but not the only reason.
“At the time a lot of factors were involved so I can’t just say it was that,” he said.
Beal said the opt-out was “the best decision for me.”
“Sometimes you have to take responsibility for your family, take care of the people around you, take care of yourself,” he said. “So I chose the best decision at the time.”
Beal, a third-round Dave Gettleman supplemental draft pick in 2018, has played in only six NFL games, all in 2019, and now faces an uphill battle to play more in New York.
He has struggled in training camp in coverage and must turn in strong performances in games, beginning with Saturday night’s exhibition opener against the Jets, to stick around.
Head coach Joe Judge said at the start of camp when asked about Beal that he’s “not going to comment at this point on any ongoing investigations or anything that’s going on with the league at this point right now.”
That implication was that the NFL is now reviewing the situation. A league spokesman did not respond to comment in late July.
“I’m gonna let that side take care of itself,” Beal said.
He has enough to worry about on the field Saturday night.
EBNER STILL IN PLANS
Nate Ebner, 32, the Giants’ 2020 special teams captain, still hasn’t re-signed. But Judge assured the Giants are “looking forward to getting him back” and “anxious to see him back.”
It sounds like Ebner, coming off offseason surgery, might have pushed his body too hard in trying out for the U.S.A.’s Olympic rugby team.
“Nate’s continuing his rehab right now at home. He’s been in touch with our medical team regularly,” Judge said. “Nate obviously was competing for a spot on the Olympic team. The nature of Nate is, he doesn’t know how to slow down, so there was a point where he was kind of pushing and pushing his body and he had to make a decision.
“He’s at a point right now where he had to kind of step back and refocus on the rehab process instead of worrying about going to Tokyo with the competition,” the coach added.
Ebner said in June on Instagram that his “recovery is on track for next football season.” For the Giants’ sake, the hope is that’s still true.