During the Giants game against the Redskins on Sunday, Odell Beckham Jr.lost his cool in the fourth quarter after Eli Manning threw an interception. He yelled and shouted on the sideline, he smacked a kicking net with his helmet, and he even appeared to shed a few tears during his very emotional outburst. It was a scene that Giants head coach Bob McAdoo would rather not see again in the future, so during a press conference on Monday, he called OBJ out for doing what he did.
"He needs to control his emotions better and become less of a distraction to himself and to his teammates," McAdoo said. "It’s our job to help him with that process and maturing."
On Thursday afternoon, OBJ responded to his head coach’s suggestions, and while he didn’t outright defy him, he did say that he doesn’t plan on making any major changes with regards to the way he behaves on the football field. OBJ said that he is going to play the way he has always played—even if that means acting out on the sideline and throwing another fit.
"I’m in a great place right now," he said. "Mentally, physically, spiritually, there is not really much that bothers me at all, to be honest. So I’m going to go out and play football the only way I’ve ever known how to play, try my best to be the best teammate you possibly can. At the end of the day, you play for the guys that wear the jersey. They’re the ones who take the field with you, who you share the blood, sweat, and tears with. I’m just going to go out and be who I am."
When pressed further for comment on what McAdoo said, OBJ said the only thing he’s concerned with at this point is preparing for the Giants’ Monday Night Football game against the Vikings. "He said, she said," he said. "I’m not really concerned about anything but the Minnesota Vikings."
For what it’s worth, some of OBJ’s own teammates have talked to him about his behavior over the last few days. Manning was spotted talking to his wide receiver just moments after he flipped out on Sunday, and Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie told OBJ he needs to "keep his cool" when he’s on the sideline. But we wouldn’t expect OBJ to change his behavior dramatically. At least, not overnight.
