New York Giants: Odell Beckham Jr. silences critics once again
By Zac Wassink
New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. silenced critics again, this time by showing up to voluntary organized team activities.
Fans of the New York Giants hoping the club will trade wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. are going to have to wait for their next opportunity to criticize the superstar playmaker. Beckham, somewhat surprisingly considering everything happening with his status as of early April, attended the team’s first voluntary organized team activities on Monday, and new head coach Pat Shurmur had only good things to say about the 25-year old during a conference call, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano.
On its own, Beckham showing up for whatever activities following WrestleMania weekend isn’t much of a story. Beckham can, and probably will, head back west to work on his own as he has in the past. He’s still rehabbing from the ankle injury that required surgery to repair and that ended his season last October. And league rules make it so that he, and others on the roster, don’t have to stick around. Beckham is free to prepare for snaps and a return to the field as he pleases.
What’s interesting about Beckham not posting Instagram videos of him jogging on some anonymous football field located in Los Angeles is that it had been rumored, not all that long ago, that he would skip all Giants-related activities until he was presented the long-term contract he desires. That, obviously, did not happen, but don’t discount the notion that Beckham arriving on Monday could be a narrative-busting move meant to earn him some favor among Big Blue supporters and coaches.
Whatever the reasoning behind it, Beckham’s biggest supporters and harshest critics can’t deny he was where coaches, the New York front office and anybody associated with the Giants would have wanted him to be at the beginning of the week. Those who call into local sports talk radio obsessed with creating trade options for arguably the most-gifted receiver in the game today, when healthy, are probably going to be bored for at least a few days.
Monday’s events, Shurmur’s words included, seem to indicate the coach, ownership and Beckham aren’t overly concerned with any supposed controversies or rumors hovering over the player’s future ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft. Beckham refused to make a power-play move when presented the opportunity. Shurmur didn’t comment on the much-discussed viral video that, as far as anybody’s knows, didn’t land Beckham in any trouble with the NFL. It’s business as usual in East Rutherford.
Despite what some former players say and think about Beckham’s relationship with a higher power these days, it’s important to remember the young man about to play out the final season of his rookie deal hasn’t gotten himself arrested or been suspended because of off-field matters. His biggest crimes, in the eyes of detractors, involve getting overly emotional during games and wanting to be paid the maximum amount of money he believes he can make.
Beckham is not a veteran who already has a massive payday in his past and who could, theoretically, be asked to give a hometown discount to his employer. Part of his job is to look out for number one and do right by himself and his business interests. How many stories have we read about football stars losing millions upon millions of dollars en route to going bankrupt over the past few decades? More than you can count off the top of your head.
As ESPN’s Jordan Raanan recently explained, the nightmare scenario of Beckham holding the Giants hostage in contract negotiations remains unrealistic, even if such discussions make for great talk radio and generate clicks. History suggests long holdouts punish players more than teams. The Giants still possess all of the power among the two entities, not to mention Beckham’s rights for the foreseeable future. If anything, Beckham is smart for putting on a happy face, appearing at OTAs and doing right by a coach he’s never played under during his brief career. It’s a positive first step.
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Some out there have simply decided they’re going to dislike Beckham. They hate his touchdown celebrations, his apparent diva personality, his pursuit of money and even his hair. Meanwhile, Beckham has, once again, done what’s expected of him and, truth be told, gone a bit further when he didn’t need to prove anything to anybody. At this rate, those who spend cash on the Giants who are in the anti-Beckham group may want to get used to the idea of him wearing Big Blue into the beginning of the next decade.