New York Giants: Odell Beckham Jr. is now a media target

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is apparently all that’s wrong with the franchise, the NFL and maybe all of pro sports.

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. apparently can’t do anything right, unless he’s setting NFL records, in the eyes of some. Beckham has been criticized for being overly-emotional and wanting to win while on the field. He supposedly cost the Giants a playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers when he and other teammates flew to Miami on an off-day the week of that contest. Even the people Beckham hangs out and trains with are problems for some.

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For those of you who may have missed the story because it’s May and the NFL preseason doesn’t start for another two and a half months, Mr. Selfish is at it again this spring, as he skipped voluntary team workouts and instead decided to put in some work away from the Giants.

As if that alone wasn’t worthy of a fine the Giants cannot hand out because of league rules, Beckham then allowed himself to be photographed with former Cleveland Browns quarterback and NFL pariah Johnny Manziel for the second time in two months:

Understandably, New York head coach Ben McAdoo, quarterback Eli Manning and others associated with the Giants would prefer to have Beckham working out with the team rather than out west signing shoe deals and training with a quarterback who isn’t getting signed anytime soon. Team-building and bonding during these sessions are important for any club, let alone for one that is eyeing a return to the Super Bowl before Manning’s career comes to an end.

Maybe — just maybe — all could and should agree to wait until Beckham actually does something that negatively affects the Giants before we go all-in on criticizing his activities during what is, technically, still the offseason. Besides, it’s not as if Beckham is on some endless bender and throwing his career away. In fact, he recently put in some work with a Hall-of-Fame receiver:

Mandatory minicamp doesn’t open until June 13, meaning Beckham still has a couple of weeks to do his own thing, enjoy the holiday weekend and work out with whomever he wants before he has to report to the Giants.

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If — and that is a big if right now — Beckham is a missing man at that time, he will deserve any criticism from beat reporters and national analysts looking to have something to talk about during the early days of summer when many take a break from sports talk radio to enjoy the sunny weather.

It’s obvious to anybody who follows sports with any regularity why Beckham’s absence from the Giants has provoked so many hot takes this week. Beckham is a superstar athlete and personality who generates clicks and discussion points. No sports talk radio host loses listeners or experiences a dip in ratings whenever he suggests an athlete doing his own thing is a sign that person is selfish and/or immature.

It’s safe to assume Beckham already has solid chemistry with Manning. The 24-year old probably doesn’t need to learn the playbook this spring. By all accounts, Beckham is in great shape and could probably play an offensive series today if asked. Oh yeah: He’s also already pretty good at his day job:

It’s not as if it’s rare a top-tier receiver would have a personality different from other members of a team. Beckham’s numbers and production since the fall of 2014 say plenty about what he is as a player today and what he could become before the end of the decade. Yes, Beckham played poorly in the playoff loss to the Packers, but that was more of a one-off than the norm.

Beckham clearly noticed the ridicule he received for missing voluntary workouts, as he took to Twitter to joke about the matter before making his real feelings on the topic known via a variety of retweets. Beckham sees and hears the haters loud and clear. Perhaps they’ll serve as extra motivation for him heading into his fourth season with the Giants.

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The truth is Beckham is probably used to it by now. It makes news whenever he is linked with possibly dating or spending any amount of time with a celebrity. He’s focused on when he attends a public function that doesn’t involve a gym or a practice field, because how dare he have any type of life away from football. Beckham will likely never be a media darling.

He may just have to accept being the best receiver in the NFL.