National Football League

Odell Beckham Jr. silent on OTA absence, will ‘for sure’ be at mandatory minicamp

Published May. 26, 2017 9:22 a.m. ET

Cameron DaSilva

Teams across the league are in the midst of OTAs, getting a first look at both rookies and veterans on the same field together. The workouts are completely voluntary, but for the most part players attend with the goal of building a rapport and getting into “football shape” before training camp.

One notable absence has grabbed headlines the past few days, though, and it’s created a bit of a controversy. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. missed the first two days of OTAs for the Giants but was expected to return on Thursday. He didn’t, and there’s no telling when he will be on the field with his teammates.

At the latest, he’ll participate on June 13, when mandatory minicamp gets underway. Before then? Who knows.

"No comment," Beckham told NFL Network when asked whether he’ll participate in the remainder of OTAs. "I love my team and am excited about the season.”

Head coach Ben McAdoo made that clear on Thursday by saying he wants all of his players in attendance.

“You want all your players here, especially your great players,” McAdoo said, via the New York Post. “It’s a time to build fundamentals and communication and chemistry and trust, so you want all your players here, especially the great ones. They facilitate a lot of those things for you, but you coach who’s here.”

“They have some valid reasons why they’re not here,” Harrison said. “I’m sure they’re not here just because they just didn’t feel like coming. If I didn’t live in New Jersey full-time, I probably wouldn’t be here right now. [Vernon’s] from Miami. Have you seen the weather here lately? I’d run from it, too. I’m sure they’ve got some good reasons why.”