No, Dave Gettleman wasn’t the one driving the car, but Aldrick Rosas’ recent arrest doesn’t do the New York Giants general manager any justice.
Dave Gettleman has experienced an up-and-down offseason ahead of what’s slated to be his third full year with the New York Giants. It’s a crucial time period for the veteran general manager. Changes must be made, games must be won, the overall impatience among the fanbase must disappear. The team’s 12-36 combined record over the last trio of seasons is ultimately making every little move carry that much more importance.
The front-office leader who’s on the verge of an exit can’t have anything go wrong. He can’t have anything occur that may make him look bad in any sort of way. And somehow, that’s now happened twice this offseason.
Sure, he’s made some beneficial moves, such as addressing the offensive line once and for all via the virtual draft and adding a new No. 1 cornerback in James Bradberry. But simply speaking, DeAndre Baker’s arrest reflected poorly on Gettleman, and now the same goes for the Aldrick Rosas situation.
The 25-year-old placekicker was arrested Monday and charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run and driving with a suspended license. Police additionally believe alcohol played a role in the alleged incident.
Gettleman wasn’t the one driving around 100 miles per hour when he collided with a pickup truck at an intersection. We know this. Gettleman wasn’t the one who may have had a blood alcohol content above the legal limit. We also know this. But when a general manager re-signs a player, restricted free agent or not, and then that same player makes a move like this just two months later, that general manager isn’t going to look good whatsoever.
Take a look at the Baker situation for example. Gettleman didn’t allegedly commit armed robbery and aggravated assault, both with a firearm. He wasn’t even at the cookout in which the apparent incident occurred. Nonetheless, when you trade up in the draft to select a guy who possessed character issues in college — Baker was said to not be the best influence — and then a year later that same guy faces eight criminal charges, it reflects poorly on you. Especially when you’re attempting to build somewhat of a decent culture.
You can argue against it, but that’s just how it works in life and in this league.
And now, that’s become the same situation with the Giants placekicker, who struggled for much of last year after earning a Pro Bowl bid and a spot on the AP All-Pro second team during the 2018 season. Rosas’ most recent arrest isn’t the best reflection on the man who re-signed him and only makes the upcoming 2020 campaign that much more important in terms of Gettleman’s job.
The Giants must start off hot, or at least win three of their first five (which could be considered “hot” if you look at how they’ve recently performed). If not, it may be “sayonara” for Gettleman, a move that most fans have been wanting for quite some time now.
As was said before, Gettleman has made some decisions this offseason that are certainly in the best interest of the on-field product the team puts together. But the negatives are definitely outweighing the positives, as a pair of player arrests make his culture-building statements that much less credible.
