party’s over
Eil, Giants laugh off Odell's off-day escapade with Bieber
Odell Beckham Jr. — along with his partying receiver pals — was back at Giants practice on Tuesday, a day after they lived it up in Miami with Justin Bieber and other celebs until after the sun came up Monday morning. Beckham vowed he is ready for business.
If anyone on the Giants had a problem with their Four Yachtsmen hanging with “The Biebs’’ on a fancy boat Monday in Miami, you would have been hard-pressed to find them Tuesday when Odell Beckham Jr. explained the trip was to “get our minds right” for Sunday’s playoff game against the Packers.
Beckham, Victor Cruz, Sterling Shepard and Roger Lewis, taking advantage of the team’s off day Monday, were pictured shirtless and partying with musicians Justin Bieber and Trey Songz, raising questions about their focus just days before the Giants’ first playoff game in five years.
“We were going to [Florida] to get our minds right,” Beckham told ESPN. “That’s what we we’re doing. I handle my business. I’m a grown man. I do what I am supposed to be doing. I’m in the building, when I’m supposed to be in the building. I don’t miss team meetings, none of that.
“I’m not perfect, but everybody knows my passion for football, when I’m on the football field. I’m here for the New York Giants, especially over the next four weeks. Now, we are about to make a run, about to make a push; it’s go time. Everybody is focusing on what they need to be focusing on.”
Quarterback Eli Manning, the unquestioned leader of the Giants, defused any controversy when he joked with reporters Tuesday that he was the person who took the picture because “they wouldn’t let me in [the picture] with my shirt off.’’
Moments earlier, Manning delivered a deadpan answer when first asked about his teammates partying states away from New York on a day off.
“You know, as a team we always pride ourselves on being well-prepared, so when I saw some of the pictures I was a little disappointed,’’ Manning said. “Because, obviously they didn’t pack accordingly. They didn’t have any shirts, obviously, all long pants, no shorts, no flip flops. So just disappointed on their packing and not being prepared for that situation.’’
Manning’s mantra was the same as head coach Ben McAdoo on Monday and the same as the rest of the players in the locker room: A day off is a day off and players have the right to do whatever they want within the rules.
“I don’t really get into what guys do on their off days,’’ Manning said. “It’s their off day [and] they can do what they want. It’s about coming here [Tuesday] prepared and getting ready for [Wednesday’s] practice to perform at a high level. I think they were a little low on their vitamin D and wanted to get some sunshine to make sure they stay healthy for the cold weather in Green Bay.’’
It was clear the Giants brass was intent on shielding the players from a barrage of questions Tuesday. Beckham, who was in the locker room, isn’t scheduled to speak to reporters until Wednesday. Cruz, who usually is available whenever needed, told reporters he was advised by the public relations staff that he wasn’t speaking until Wednesday.
Cruz, speaking on his weekly radio spot, was asked if Bieber was a Giants fan. “It’s funny, I didn’t ask him, [but] the way he was dancing in the nightclub I would say he’s a Giants fan,’’ he said.
“I’m not talking about that today,” Shepard said. “I’m focused on Green Bay.”
“It was an off day,’’ linebacker and captain Jonathan Casillas said. “They had the luxury to go to another state to enjoy and celebrate. We just made it to the playoffs. There’s no one saying [players] cannot travel anywhere. It sucks that those guys get so much attention or negative things, and I don’t see nothing wrong with it. They didn’t break any rules.’’
Asked if he would do it, Casillas said, “I wouldn’t do it, but everybody’s different.’’
After a pause, Casillas added, “If I had an invite, maybe, but I didn’t get no invite. I like Justin Bieber. Those guys were here at work [Tuesday] ready to do, full of energy, so touché to them.’’
Veteran running back Rashad Jennings delivered an Aaron Rodgers-like answer to the question, saying, “Relax.’’
“Hey, it’s an off day,’’ Jennings said. “It’s not affecting the way they came, lifted, practiced at all, so it means nothing, absolutely nothing at all. You’re not gonna find anybody here looking any which way about what they should or should not have done.
“But obviously Odell, the camera’s a magnet to him. People like to blow up everything that he does. He’s a team player, though. Look, it’s the NFL, we’re grown men out here. Relax. Everything’s different if somebody doesn’t show up for work, [but] they were bright-eyed, they were ready to go, having fun, perfect, just like always.
“That’s old news, man.’’