New York Post

HE'S BECK' ON TIME!

Odell reports one day before mandatory camp after skipping OTAs

- By PAUL SCHWARTZ paul.schwartz @nypost.com

Exhale. Odell Beckham is back. He reported to the Giants’ facility Monday, along with his teammates, The Post confirmed, to take a physical exam as a lead-in to Tuesday’s start of a three-day mandatory minicamp.

Defensive end Olivier Vernon, the other marquee Giants player who eschewed the OTAs — Vernon opted to work out at home in Florida — also reported Monday for a physical.

Sunday night, Beckham alerted social media to his pending arrival, posting a workout video on Instagram, this one contained the hashtag “I’mBack.’’

Beckham, of course, has stayed away from his team, leading to all sorts of speculatio­n. Did Odell simply prefer hanging out in Los Angeles and working with his own trainer, Jamal Liggin? Did he prefer catching spring- time passes from Johnny Manziel over Eli Manning? Did he not want to give up his courtside seats for the NBA Finals? Would he rather get schooled on the finer points of life as an NFL receiver from Hall of Famer Cris Carter, as opposed to his own position coach, Adam Henry, as a Beckham retweet on Twitter suggested? Was this a strategic maneuver to draw attention to the fact he is underpaid (salary of $1.8 million in 2017) and wants a new contract, a strategy ESPN believes to be true?

It certainly appears the “I’mBack’’ hashtag and his ontime arrival for this camp means Beckham will be on the field Tuesday with his teammates, which would silence much of the noise generated by the why, where and when of Beckham’s offseason.

At times, players have reported to minicamp with mysterious ailments that keep them from participat­ing, a ploy often related to pressuring the team to come up with more money. It is unlikely Beckham would go that route.

Beckham, 24, is not shy about expressing his belief he is unfairly scrutinize­d and criticized, a point he made again as he posted the video with the words: “The rain falls on the just and unjust alike.’’ In the video, a shirtless Beckham is seen working out and catching passes on the beach, in the sand, barefoot, and also lifting weights in a gym, engaging in various speed and agility drills.

 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States