Cruz says tantrums could start to hinder Beckham

A DAY AFTER GM Jerry Reese indicated he wants Odell Beckham Jr. to grow up, Victor Cruz said he wasn’t worried about his fellow wideout but does think Beckham’s tantrums could hold the receiver back. “I think just having those outbursts are going to hinder him in some regard,” Cruz said on WFAN Tuesday. “Whether it’s just continued negative press or whatever the case may be. So he just has to find a way to just control himself and not do those things in such an angry regard coming after games like that.”

Cruz said his fellow receiver was “visibly upset” after the game but that he didn’t see Beckham punch the wall.

Asked if it would be good for Beckham if the young receiver could control himself more, Beckham said, “I mean, obviously. There won’t be any negative to report.”

“I don’t think the reports bother him, I think more so the people that smile in his face and tell him one thing when they talk to him, whether it’s media whoever it is, and then go back behind their back and then go print a story that’s the opposite of that, I think that’s where we have the problem,” Cruz added.

Cruz was largely supportive of Beckham, who punched a hole in a wall underneath Lambeau Field after the Giants’ loss to the Packers on Sunday. He complimented Beckham for being a good teammate and noted that some of Beckham’s outbursts are because the star wideout always expects the most from himself.

“I don’t think anyone’s worried about anything other than making sure that he’s healthy and that he’s ready to go come next year,” Cruz said.

Cruz was partying alongside Beckham in Miami last week after the team’s win over Washington. The wide receivers’ jaunt to Florida and ensuing boat trip drew sharp criticism from some who felt it showed a lack of focus. “Obviously, being lumped into the entire scenario, I’m an adult,” Cruz said. “I understand exactly what I was getting myself into. This isn’t something that was a mystery to me or something I was shocked at. I mean, I understood where we were going and what we were doing, but it was on our day off in

good fun. So there’s nothing wrong with that, and I think it gets really overhyped for whatever reason.”

Sunday’s loss to the Packers may have been Cruz’s last game as a Giant. Cruz, 30, was phased out of the offense over the course of the season. That has led to speculation that he’ll be playing elsewhere next season, though Cruz said he thinks he’ll be back. “I feel good about my chances of coming back,” the receiver said. “That’s always where my inkling goes. That’s always my thought process because that’s home.”

Cruz said he does not think the Miami trip changed how the organization views him. “No, I think they understand the person I am and the character that I have,” he said.

It is a virtual lock that, at the very least, the Giants will not keep Cruz at the current $9.4 million cap charge for 2017, per OverTheCap.com,

Cruz also noted that he has no intention of retiring.

“Football will continue for Victor Cruz,” he said.