Giants GM in high spirits
Gettleman says cancer in remission
Gettleman has lost his hair but not his spirit or fervor for the Giants and for life.
“Let me tell you something,” Gettleman, 67, his cancer in remission and his sense of humor in tact, said Friday in his first public appearance since an early June diagnosis. “(Defensive line coach) Gary Emanuel said to me, ‘Dave, think about it: You can wash your face and your head at the same time!’ I said, ‘That ain’t bad!’”
For 18 minutes on Friday, after the Giants’ second practice of training camp, Gettleman fluctuated between reflection and his self-described “shtick.” But what came across most was that Gettleman is grateful for both the support he has received and the terrific news he recently got from Dr. Andre Goy at Hackensack University Medical Center: That his “aggressive lymphoma” is in remission.
“I feel really good,” Gettleman said. “Sometimes I feel like I’m apologizing for that. My energy’s good … When he told me, ‘You’re in complete remission,’ it was like, it was kind of weird. But he very quickly followed up, ‘You ain’t done,’ very quickly followed up, ‘You ain’t done.’”
Gettleman said his routine has been grueling. He is doing 99 percent of his treatments in the hospital, and each round of chemotherapy lasts five days. He has done four rounds of chemo and has three more remaining.
“So I’m over the hump,” he said. “I want to thank everybody for their support.”
Despite the ongoing treatments, though, he continues to work on the Giants’ biggest business. That means soon negotiating Odell Beckham Jr.’s new contract, which Gettleman said he most certainly will be a part of in conjunction with VP of football operations Kevin Abrams.
“I’m well enough to stand here in front of you, so I’m well enough to do that, OK?” Gettleman said. “And don’t waste your time taking our temperature. Contracts get done when they’re supposed to get done. I’ve had conversations with Odell. That’s where it stands.”
The recent signing of veteran lineDave backer Connor Barwin, Gettleman said, was another example of him staying locked in to what his team needs.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not asking myself, ‘Have I given Pat and the guys enough players to win?’” he said. “And I kept looking at our depth chart on defense and I just felt we needed a little more, one more veteran presence. I talked to Pat about it, he was with Connor, loves him … It’s about quality snaps; it’s not about quantity. Connor still has some quality snaps in him.”
Gettleman’s immune system remains weak due to the chemo treatments, so he isn’t able to come into close contact with people or do everything he would like to.
He watched practice on Friday, for example, from a distance.
“I was in Peru watching practice in Hackensack,” he cracked.
And doctors don’t want him in the sun, and he won’t be going on the team’s mid-August week-long trip to Detroit, either.
“I have chemo that week and I can’t go,” He said. “My immune system is down, so here you are sitting on a plane, sucking recirculated air and everybody’s cooties. Then you go in a hotel sucking recirculated air and cooties — that was a term when I was a little kid. There are certain things I’m not doing until I get clearance. To me, do what the doctor tells you. Good Lord, don’t negotiate.”
Gettleman is finding ways, though, to continue getting his message across to his team. On Wednesday, he addressed the full team and said he stressed two key points:
First he quoted Lou Lamoriello, the great NHL executive and current Islanders president and GM, by saying: “Individuals win games, teams win championships.” And then Gettleman emphasized his high daily expectations for the players on his team.
“No one’s on scholarship, no one’s taking a redshirt year,” Gettleman told the players. “You’ve earned the right to get to training camp. Now it’s time for you to earn the right to get to the 53. Then once you make the 53, you gotta earn the right to be on the 47. That’s every day. That’s every rep. That’s every meeting.
“I also told them,” Gettleman smiled, “that being bald is different.” MORE FROM DAVE
Gettleman confirmed that supplemental draft pick Sam Beal will have shoulder surgery and said it will be a “five-month procedure,” meaning the recovery time ends Beal’s would-be rookie season. “We knew about the shoulder. There was no mystery,” Gettleman said. “We had MRIs, he comes here, reinjures it. Really and truly we felt that we’re getting next year’s thirdround pick this year. So with the shoulder, get it fixed, it’s a five-month procedure, and he’s ready to go next spring.” … Gettleman on head coach Pat Shurmur: “What I’ve found is defensive coaches, if you look at NFL history, most of the greatest head coaches have come from the defensive side of the ball. They tend to be very pragmatic … So I’ve got a head coach who’s been on the offensive side of the ball his whole career with that pragmatic approach. So I’m happy … He’s got a great way about him with the players. He keeps it simple. I’m thrilled with Pat. I couldn’t be happier. He’s everything I thought he could be.”