Odell Beckham Jr. is an enigma.
One moment the Giants wide receiver is punching a wall in a fit of rage and the next moment he is going out of his way to engage with young fans. It’s the latter that earned Beckham a considerable amount of praise from NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent recently.
Vincent praised Beckham’s professionalism while at the Pro Bowl last week in a letter sent to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and top members of the Giants’ organization, according to ESPN.com.
“I would be remiss not to acknowledge how engaging and professional Odell Beckham Jr. was during the entire week of the Pro Bowl,” Vincent wrote in the letter obtained by ESPN. “By far and away, he represented the New York Football Giants and the NFL with great poise, congeniality, and professionalism.”
Cris Carter mentoring Odell
The letter, which was sent to Goodell, Giants owner John Mara, general manager Jerry Reese, coach Ben McAdoo, director of player development David Tyree and Beckham’s agent, Zeke Sandhu, comes at a time when Beckham is under intense scrutiny for his behavior.
Beckham allegedly punched a wall outside of the visitors’ locker room at Lambeau Field after the Giants’ 38-13 playoff loss to the Packers on Jan. 8. McAdoo condemned the act and Reese pointedly said that the 24-year-old Beckham needs to “grow up.”
“I know he’s a smart guy,” Reese said. “I believe he understands that he has a responsibility being one of the faces of this franchise. I think he’ll accept that responsibility.”
It’s Beckham’s intelligence that make his bouts of immaturity more confounding. While he’s had his share of regrettable moments during and immediately after games during his three-year career, Beckham has had many more instances when he has conducted himself as a face of the franchise.
Beckham has an obvious soft spot for children and he has said repeatedly that he wants to be a role model. Beckham constantly gives attention to his young fans before games, playing catch and posing for photos.
.@OBJ_3 having a catch with a young #GiantsPride fan at the #ProBowl! pic.twitter.com/N9RW5cO8yk
— New York Giants (@Giants) January 25, 2017
Despite being the source of many distractions, Beckham is well regarded by his teammates because of his work ethic, talent and personality. Beckham is also popular around the NFL and he stood out as arguably the biggest star while surrounded by the best players in the league at the Pro Bowl.
“Odell single-handedly took our engagement to a higher level,” Vincent wrote in the letter. “You should be proud to have him representing your club and your city at the Pro Bowl and I didn’t want to go another day without writing to acknowledge his extraordinary efforts.”
Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.
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