One of the biggest stars of the New York Giants, Odell Beckham Jr, formally spoke to the press for the first time during training camp, following yesterday’s practices. He talked about injury, the good chemistry between the Giants players early on, and about his thankfulness to be able to play once again.
Perhaps most interestingly, he explained his reasoning behind attending training camp and not holding out because of his ongoing contract negotiations.
“I’m just happy to be back out there running around. And like I said before, I don’t believe in any of that stuff. I feel like they’ll get it done when they get it done, let my agent and them figure it out,” Beckham said, mentioning that his injury against the Chargers last year changed his life. “I just come out here, try and get all the plays down, focus on being the best that I can be. So, it’ll happen when it happens.”
“It’s a calculated risk. You’re out there, you control your body and we’re practicing, these are your teammates and we’re all working together. There’s no extra pushing and shoving and doing too much, so it’s all calculated,” he added, on the subject of risking reinjury by participating in practices.
He also gave some of the details about what rehabbing from the injury was like. “As I’ve been running routes, running around, I remember nights falling asleep downstairs, having to get up to my room and literally having to crawl up three flights of stairs to get to my room… It’s great to be back out there with some of those guys. Sterling, it’s always good to see him, Saquon, everybody. It’s going to be a good team.”
Beckham has shown good chemistry with Sterling and Barkley going into this season, working out with both players in Los Angeles before training camp began.
The biggest message from Beckham’s talk with the media was that he was thankful to be back with the team, regardless of any external circumstances. “I remember waking up four in the morning and crawling upstairs to my bed and laughing to myself, like this is going to be a hell of a ride for you to get back to where you’re at… I’m just thankful, that God is able to put me back out there.”