Giants begin workouts with Beckham in building
Coach: WR knows the importance of offseason work.
The New York Giants opened their first organized team activities under new coach Pat Shurmur with star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the building.
Speaking on a conference call Monday, Shurmur said he hadn’t yet talked to Beckham, whose name has been mentioned in trade speculation in recent months. The coach didn’t know how many of the voluntary activities Beckham planned to attend or the condition of his left ankle. The ankle was broken in the fifth game of a 3-13 season that led to the firing of coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese.
Shurmur said he previously spoke with Beckham about a video that surfaced online showing the 25-yearold who wants to be the NFL’s highest-paid player on a bed holding what appeared to be a hand-rolled cigarette. A woman next to him had unidentified white powder on a nearby table.
Shurmur didn’t reveal what he said to Beckham. He also is not worried whether the player will be affected by the recent hype surrounding the video and trade rumors.
“I really believe that Odell is a professional and he wants to be great,” said Shurmur, who expects to know more about Beckham’s ankle by the end of the week. “He understands the importance of the offseason and he’s a competitive guy and, again, we had already started communicating before all that information kind of got out there and was talked about a great deal. He’s a professional and I’m glad he’s here today.”
When healthy, Beckham is a game-breaker. The threetime Pro Bowler has played in 47 games in his first four seasons, catching 313 passes for 4,424 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Lions: Signed Matt Cassel, adding QB depth behind Matthew Stafford. The Lions also re-signed restricted free agent wide receiver TJ Jones, giving Stafford another target in the passing game.
Jets: Signed free agent WR Charles Johnson and linebacker Kevin Minter.
Cowboys: Signed defensive end Kony Ealy to a oneyear deal.
Packers: Police said WR Trevor Davis was arrested after falsely claiming to have explosives while checking in for a flight at Los Angeles International Airport. Airport police spokesman Rob Pedregon said Davis was booked on a charge of making a false bomb threat at an airport and released with a summons to appear in court.
Sunday’s Game
NHL notes
Islanders: Will he stay or will he go? That’s the big question for the Islanders when it comes to John Tavares. It has been all season, which ended without a postseason attached.
The 27-year-old center will be an unrestricted free agent with the expiration of his six-year, $33-million deal. Tavares didn’t announce his decision after his exit meeting Monday at Northwell Health Ice Center, but he said he hopes to be back. “I love it here,”Tavares said. Tavares arrived as the first overall pick in 2009. This ninth season for him was another quality season with 37 goals and 47 assists. But this marked the sixth time the Islanders missed the playoffs in his time here.
Sharks: Evander Kane followed a similar timeline after each of his first eight NHL regular seasons. Pack up the locker, say goodbye to teammates and get frustrated watching other players compete in the playoffs rather than getting his own opportunity on the big stage. A late-season trade to San Jose changed all that for the left wing, who is excited for his first chance at the postseason after 574 career games when the Sharks open their first-round series in Anaheim on Thursday night.“I’ve said it in the past: I think I’m a playoff player,”Kane said Monday.“I’ve watched the playoffs and when I look at the style of play and it’s something I was jealous because I wasn’t involved in it. Now I get that opportunity and I have to back those words up.” Kane has had plenty of personal success since making his debut for Atlanta as an 18-year-old in 2009 after being the fourth overall pick that year. But his teams never had success in Atlanta, Winnipeg or Buffalo and he always spent the spring as a spectator.