New York Giants cornerback Sam Beal will have one less thing pressing on his mind while he competes for a spot at the competitive position this year. He came into this offseason with a legal case still pending after he was arrested in Ohio last year, but that looks settled after he plead guilty and entered probation.
According to records reported on by NorthJersey.com, Beal plead guilty last Friday in exchange for two years of probation which will allow him to avoid a conviction on his record. The original arrest, which happened last June, took place near Cleveland and saw Beal charged with illegally carrying a concealed weapon as well as marijuana possession and the improper handling of a firearm.
With this out of the way, it seems like there won’t be anything keeping Beal from playing this season. Despite the ongoing case, after all, the Giants kept him on the roster. It looks unlikely that the guilty plea will affect his standing with the team, since the Giants haven’t done anything about the situation so far.
Their decision contrasts with how they handled the situation with DeAndre Baker, but the far more minor nature of this case compared to the accused armed robbery saga that Baker was wrapped up in has likely played a part in that fact.
Beal missed last season after opting out, and will have to compete just to stay on the roster after playing in far less games than he should have since being drafted. He’s largely struggled with injury, and his opt out last season continues the trend of him not getting on the field.
With the cornerback position getting far more competitive since when the Giants brought him on, he’ll have to be on the top of his game to avoid ending up on the list of roster cuts before the season.