Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Beckham's Bieber Party a Black Eye for Big Blue

No matter how you slice it. No matter how much talk radio heads like Mike Francesa will try to act like it means nothing. No matter how much Eli Manning tries to dismiss it in press conferences, the fact that Odell Beckham Jr. and three other Giants receivers decided to partake in a booze and drug party with Justin Bieber the night after the regular season finale is a disgrace.

It's a disgrace because the Giants still have something to play for this week. The team visits the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in the NFL Wild Card game. Yes, this occurred on Monday, on the players scheduled "day off," but it leaves no excuse for the players to do this, and its even less of an excuse for the Giants to allow it to happen.

Just because nobody got hurt physically, nor arrested doesn't justify the actions of this quartet. They humiliated their franchise, and worse off made a totally mockery of Sunday's wild card game. If the Giants lose on Sunday, this is all anyone will talk about. Even if the Giants go to the Super Bowl, this is all anyone will talk about.

Beckham along with Victor Cruz, Sterling Shepard and Roger Lewis Jr. all jumped into a plane in the hours following the Giants 19-10 win over Washington and headed down to Miami to party all day and all night with "pop star" Justin Bieber and Trey Songz (whoever he is). Social media went ablaze with photos of the group hanging out on a Yacht, fooling around and apparently doing drugs, according to a report in USA Today. According to that same report Shephard could be heard telling someone "I can't take Adderall." In case you didn't know, Adderall is a banned substance in the NFL.

Of the quartet, Cruz should have known better then to allow this to happen. As the veteran of the group, he should have put his foot down and set an example -- especially around a rookie like Shepard, and especially around Beckham who is a loose cannon.

When pressed by the media about it, coach Ben McAdoo did his best to act like the events of Monday were no big deal. "Players are off until tomorrow morning. We will see them tomorrow morning and they'll get their workout in, and we'll be ready for Green Bay. The players were off, they are not working."

This coming from the same guy who wouldn't condemn Josh Brown's actions of spousal abuse from earlier in the year. Another wonderful black eye for the Giants this year that most have now forgotten.

McAdoo is walking a slippery slope. His comments are basically a blank check to his players to do whatever the hell the want -- no matter the consequences. This is a horrible example to set. Think Tom Coughlin would be happy to hear that his four receivers, including his three biggest play makers were on an all night bender in Miami -- even on a day off? I don't think so. If Coughlin were still running things at the Giants Timex Center, there would be talk of fines and maybe a benching of Beckham -- even in a playoff game.

Think this is sitting well with Giants co-owner and CEO John Mara? So far we haven't heard from him, but I can't imagine that he is too pleased. Earlier this season he had egg all over his face for the Josh Brown fiasco when it came to light that he was aware of Brown's marital issues -- including his striking of his wife at the Pro Bowl.

The Giants decided to re-sign Brown in the off-season in-spite of all the facts and didn't cut him until the pressure from outside became too hot to handle.

Now they have this mess with Beckham and company. When asked about Beckham's early season tirade with a kicking net, Mara had this to say: "He's a young man who is very emotional but he's basically a very good man who does a lot of good things off the field. ... Sometimes he goes a little too far, but that's the truth with a lot of players ...".

These four men should consider themselves lucky, it could have been much worse.

And to the Giants fans who ripped Tony Romo nine years ago for being on vacation with Jessica Simpson during the team's bye week before playing in divisional playoffs, you have no leg to stand on now. Giants fans can not defend Beckham's actions, while justifying their ripping of Romo in 2007.

Well see if the Bieber curse works its magic here. Remember it was Bieber who hung out with the Cavs during the finals two years ago -- Cleveland lost. Bieber also paid a visit to the Steelers in December of 2010 and they lost to the Jets that week. Biebs is also part of the Johnny Manziel entourage -- enough said there.

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