Giants Waive Jake Ballard, Re-Sign Rocky Bernard; David Diehl Arrested for DUI

Mini-Camp Begins Today: The Giants three-day, full-squad mini-camp begins today and will end on Thursday.

Giants Waive Jake Ballard, Re-Sign Rocky Bernard: The Giants waived/injured TE Jake Ballard yesterday. Ballard tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee in the Super Bowl.

If Ballard clears waivers today, the Giants will likely put him on the Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) list and eventually season-ending Injured Reserve.

“Thanks for (the) love everyone but don’t worry, its a business,” Ballard tweeted last night. “I’m on the road to recovery, and I believe I’ll be in a Giants uniform in ’13”

“I’m trying to play eight, nine more years,” said Ballard. “This isn’t part of what I had imagined happening, but I’m looking at it as just another step along the way of coming back and being 100 percent healthy.”

To fill Ballard’s roster spot, the Giants re-signed unrestricted free agent DT Rocky Bernard. Fellow defensive tackles Chris Canty (knee), Linval Joseph (ankle), and Shaun Rogers (elbow) have been slowed recently due to their recovery from injuries.

David Diehl Arrested for DUI: OT David Diehl was arrested by police on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol on Sunday night in Queens. According to press reports, Diehl hit a couple of parked cars and failed a breathalyzer test with an alcohol level of .18. The legal limit is .08.

Diehl’s license has been suspended and he could face up to 1-year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. His next court date is July 26, the day players are schedule to report to training camp.

Diehl could also face disciplinary action from the NFL since a drunk driving arrest is considered a violation of the League’s substance abuse policy.

“I’ve worked hard during my career to set a positive example, and yesterday I fell far short of this standard,” said Diehl. “I apologize to my family, my fans, the New York Giants, and the NFL. I made a poor decision that I sincerely regret, and, as always, take full responsibility for my actions.”

The Giants released the following statement: “Obviously we are aware of the situation, although we have not yet had a chance to discuss it with David. Since it is an ongoing legal matter, we will refrain from comment at this time, although we will say that David has been an outstanding representative of this organization for the past 10 years, and nobody knows more than David does what is expected of our players both on and off the field.”

Giants.com Q&A With Offensive Line Coach Pat Flaherty: The video of a Giants.com Q&A with Offensive Line Coach Pat Flaherty is available at Giants.com.

Giants.com Q&A With Cornerbacks Coach Peter Giunta: The video of a Giants.com Q&A with Cornerbacks Coach Peter Giunta is available at Giants.com.

Giants.com Q&A With HB Andre Brown: The video of a Giants.com Q&A with HB Andre Brown is available at Giants.com.

Article on QB Eli Manning: Eli Ready to Work With Rookies in Minicamp by Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com