"Coach Tom Coughlin last night said, "We are in a high-risk business," a fact the Giants proved with the selection of defensive tackle Marvin Austin in the second round of the NFL draft. Austin is a dream player with a blot on his personal record. He did not play at all last season for North Carolina after he was booted off the squad by coach Butch Davis for violating team rules and later declared ineligible by the NCAA for accepting improper gifts from his agent. He is under NCAA investigation for academic cheating and has citations for a misdemeanor noise ordinance violation, for driving without a registration and improper window tinting. Early in his career at UNC, he was benched twice for not attending class. Bad guy? "Sometimes some of the things that are said and the way that they say them, I feel like some people feel I'm a bad person," Austin said. "That's not the case at all. I'm just a good guy who made a bad decision and I'm ready to move on and become a Giant." In the third round, the Giants took Jerrel Jernigan, a speed receiver from Troy who can also return punts and kickoffs. Giants GM Jerry Reese said Austin was "very highly rated on our board" and "we couldn't pass him up." And he said Austin had "no other problems" other than the illegal doings with his agent. As for Austin the player, Reese could not have been more colorful in describing the attraction. He used the word "nasty" three times and likened Austin to former Giants defensive lineman Keith Hamilton, a real tough guy on the field with a history of some illegal activity off it." Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/giants_take_talented_unc_dt_with_kwGccwLsnsCjnd6ZlcqJEN
