New York Giants: Odell Beckham vindicated in his absence

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is vindicated in his absence, as there is now no doubt he was hardly what was wrong with the club’s culture.

A lot of fans owe New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. an apology. Far too many fans who allow themselves to get worked up by Internet hot takes, rants delivered by sports talk radio hosts looking to drive ratings and individuals posting on social media platforms who have as much experience running an NFL team as they do running billion-dollar companies (none) should walk more than a few comments made about the superstar offensive weapon back as quickly as possible.

As knowledgeable Giants fans who avoided falling into such easy-to-spot traps knew months and even a year ago, it turns out Beckham was not, in fact, some type of infection in the locker room, a distraction to those pursuing a playoff berth, if not more, or a negative influence. Beckham, who worked hard to return from an August injury earlier than originally scheduled but who was lost for the season in October, isn’t what so many evidently yearn for him to be as the 2-13 Giants head toward the merciful end of this disastrous campaign.

Beckham didn’t earn suspensions in 2017 as did multiple members of the team’s secondary. Beckham wasn’t called a “cancer” in the locker room by a teammate in late December. Cornerback Eli Apple, the player who seems to have no future with the Giants after Dec. 31, who was buried by safety Landon Collins during an interview and who was suspended by the club ahead of the season finale, was more of a detriment in four months than Beckham has been in four years.

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Upon further review, Beckham did not create and orchestrate offensive game plans that repeatedly failed to result in the Giants notching 30 points on NFL Sundays. Beckham also didn’t bench two-time Super Bowl champion and two-time MVP Eli Manning. Former head coach Ben McAdoo was responsible for those blunders, the second of which ultimately cost him his job before the end of the year because fans demanded he not be allowed to sink the ship any further.

Beckham isn’t the guy in the locker room allegedly offering leaks to reporters. He’s hurt, and he isn’t a member of the defense that has found itself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons as the losses accumulated. Nobody, not even Beckham’s harshest critic, could say the New York offense improved once a final injury made the receiver a spectator. Those jokes about last January’s boat trip ahead of the playoff game against the Green Bay Packers became overshadowed by the team’s dumpster-fire season.

Beckham didn’t refuse to invest in a sieve-like offensive line when practically all observers knew doing so was a must for the Giants last March. Beckham didn’t miss on first-round picks such as Apple and left tackle Ereck Flowers. If anything, Beckham was a big reason general manager Jerry Reese kept his post until both he and McAdoo were dismissed once it was deemed the situation hovering over the club was irreparable.

Has Beckham been a perfect player throughout his tenure with the Giants? Of course not. All indications are he’d be the first person to admit that. He’s dropped too many catchable passes. He wasn’t good enough in his single postseason appearance. He’s allowed his emotions to get the best of him on and off the field. He’s a flawed product. Most people are.

One of the few positives Giants fans can take from this year to forget is the end of any existing legitimacy to Beckham takes. Don’t misunderstand. The same people with a history of foolishly bashing Beckham will continue to do so in attempts to spread a non-existent narrative. Fans no longer have any excuse to buy into these made-up tales about a superstar who doesn’t fit in with the “Giants Way™” and isn’t a proper representative for the proud franchise. They’re lies, pure and simple.

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Nobody can say what is in Beckham’s future or if he and the Giants will have a long-term relationship. One of the first big decisions the new front office will make will be how to handle Beckham’s status once his rookie contract expires after 2018. What is known today, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is Beckham hasn’t been what so many made him out to be.

Those people owe Beckham apologies. We’ll be waiting to hear and read them.