Odell turns to Carter for guidance
HOUSTON — Cris Carter was able to overcome drug and alcohol abuse as a young NFL player with the Eagles to put together a Hall of Fame career as a star receiver with the Vikings.
In 2014, Carter infamously instructed young players at an NFL rookie symposium to “have a fall guy’’ if they ran into trouble off the field in order to save themselves from trouble. Carter later apologized, saying, “I gave them very bad advice.’’
Carter now says he wwill help Odell Beckham Jr. try to mature and become “a great human being’’ as he reaches out to the Giants’ talented but rough-around-the edges re ceiver. Carter on Tuesday told NJ.com he wi l l speak weekly with Beckham to help smooth out those rough edges.
“[Beckham] regrets the things that happened,’’ Carter, currently a FOX analyst, said at the network’s Super Bowl media availability in Houston. “He’s trying to learn from it, and he’s going to make some adjustments. He’s trying to learn how to be a pro. He’s trying to talk to people.
“Him and I have a very good relationship, and he’s dedicated himself to get- ting on a phone call with me once a week. I plan on seeing him when he comes to L.A., plan on spending some time there. He’s really trying to make some adjustments, to get the best out of his talent.”
In his third season with the Giants, Beckham caught a career-high 101 passes, for 1,367 yards and 10 touchdowns but again attracted unwanted headlines for a series of distractions and bouts with immaturity. He was particularly bad in the 38-1 3 playoff loss to the Packers. In his f irst postseason game, he caught just three passes for 28 yards and had two costly drops six days after partying in Miami.
Beckham, who will be an ESPN in-studio analyst for Super Bowl LI, also punched a hole in a wall at Lambeau Field after that game, prompting general manager Jerry Reese to say: “He’s a smart guy, but sometimes he doesn’t do smart things. We all had to grow up at different times in our lives. I think it’s time for him to do it now. He’s been here three years now.”
Carte r wants to hel p Beckham, 24, grow up.
“I understand what he’s up against, and I’ve issued some challenges to him if he wants to grow,’’ Carter said.