New York Giants
New York Giants: The Miami Trip Non-Distraction Becomes A Distraction
New York Giants

New York Giants: The Miami Trip Non-Distraction Becomes A Distraction

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:07 p.m. ET

This week, a cadre of New York Giants receivers went to Miami to unwind and party. The group, that included Odell Beckham and Victor Cruz, was photographed on a celebrity party boat. As reported, the celebration apparently occurred after the team’s victory over the Washington Redskins. Needless to say, the optics are not good.

New York Giants Company Line

All week, the New York Giants official response actually remains no response as indicated by this Ben McAdoo question and answer session with the media. The official team transcript goes like this:

Q: There was a report that drugs were being handed out like candy on the boat the receivers were on. Does that change your view?
Ben McAdoo: The players were off. I’m not going to talk about players and their off time.

ADVERTISEMENT

Q: Were you surprised by the reaction?
Ben McAdoo: I’m not aware of it.

Q: Did you feel like it was necessary to talk to the receivers or was it not an issue?
Ben McAdoo: The players were off. They showed up Tuesday and were ready to work. They had a good practice [Wednesday].

Nov 6, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo during warm ups before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com on Jan. 4, 2017, Victor Cruz also set the parameters of his interview this week. “I’m just here to talk about the Green Bay Packers and the matchup that we got coming up this week on Sunday afternoon,” Cruz said. “That’s the only thing I’m worried about.”

You can’t get blood out of a stone, so continued badgering of players on the subject, gives the perception this uproar constitutes a media creation. Conversely, the reality remains that no matter how many “no comments” get issued, the event happened. Timing is everything in life. And the simple fact remains that the players went and partied on a boat, less than a week before a playoff game.

The Real World Response

No matter how many declinations of response are issued, the optics of this situation won’t go away easily. Let’s be honest. The situation has all the makings of a great story. And who out there does not like gossip?

Most of the media continues to report only the “news” on this situation. a similar tact would have been useful in  the presidential election. But we digress.

Pat Leonard, new to the New York Giants beat this season, has been a breath of fresh air. He dissected the situation in an article written on Jan. 4, 2017. He said, “No one is demonizing four men ages 30 (Cruz), 24 (Beckham) and 23 (Shepard and Lewis) for unwinding. It is simply required to consider the ramifications, in their position, of their actions, and how it might affect a cause greater than them — especially since this didn’t happen before a game in Week 3.”

Ahhh ramifications. As Beckham said, let’s talk about that after the season is over. OBJ had better hope that day isn’t this coming Monday.

More from GMEN HQ

    This article originally appeared on

    share


    Get more from New York Giants Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more