New York Giants backup quarterback Kyle Lauletta was arrested on Tuesday morning when he almost struck a police car while driving to the team’s training facilities, per Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com.
Dunleavy reports that the 23-year-old failed to obey a Weehawken police officer’s traffic directions before almost hitting his vehicle. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo revealed that Lauletta accelerated through the officer’s order to stop, nearly hit the crop and another car, cut off multiple other cars and then failed to comply with police by refusing to roll his window down or step out of the vehicle.
The timing could not have been any worse for Lauletta, who is on the verge of making his regular-season NFL debut in 2018. He has been inactive for most of the season, but the 1-7 Giants are going nowhere which could have provided him with an extended tryout during the second half of the season.
Tuesday was a veteran day for starting quarterback Eli Manning which would have led to Lauletta taking an abundance of snaps with the first-team offense.
In four preseason appearances after being drafted in the fourth round out of Richmond, Lauletta completed 17-of-35 passes for 194 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He was the Senior Bowl MVP prior to the draft and Richmond’s all-time leader in total offense with 10,422 yards.
With the struggles of Eli Manning behind an offensive line that gives him little to no time in the pocket, Lauletta provides a more athletic option that could at least extend the play in order to find the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard.
Lauletta will likely face disciplinary charges by the team, which is on a bye week, upon his release which suggests that Manning is going to remain under center for the foreseeable future, much to the chagrin of many Giants fans.
Through eight games, New York’s scoring offense ranks 25th in the NFL and their nine passing touchdowns ranks 27th. The immobile Manning has been sacked a league-leading 31 times behind his poor offensive line. Only the Cleveland Browns have allowed more this season.
