New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. won't be in action in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 3, according to Tom Rock of Newsday. Beckham did go on to say that he expects to play at some point during the preseason, but is currently dealing with a hamstring injury that has forced him out of multiple practices.
Odell Beckham won’t play in Hall of Fame game, meets with frustrated Tom Coughlin
New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. won’t play on Sunday, but he’s hoping his hamstring will allow him to play at some point this preseason.
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
It doesn’t sound like it’s a very serious injury, but it’s one that Beckham is being safe about. On Tuesday, he said that tests showed blood in his hamstring, and that he is still day-to-day, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Finding the balance between getting healthy and making a good first impression is hard, Beckham said via Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
Of course, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin isn’t making it any easier for Beckham to feel comfortable with that balance. Coughlin has expressed frustration with Beckham’s injury, saying the time he’s missed in camp is “more than” disappointing, as reported by ESPN. He went on to say that the Giants are “trying to put a team together. We saw too much of that in the spring.”
To his credit, Coughlin did eventually say that the Giants aren’t going to let Beckham play if he’s in danger of hurting himself, but it certainly does clash with Coughlin’s noted frustration. He’s not exactly telling Beckham he needs to suck it up or anything, but giving a player all the time he needs to feel comfortable getting back out there is incredibly important.
Beckham spoke to the media on Tuesday and said that he had a meeting with Coughlin, and that he had to reassure the coach that he’d be out there if he can. Beckham said that he loves practicing, and that he’s “going to push it” as much as he can, but that the decision to practice and play is ultimately up to the trainers. Beckham has been at camp with the rest of the team, but has only worked out on his own, fielding punts and getting in what individual workouts he can.
While Beckham obviously deserves the benefit of the doubt and as much time as possible to ensure he’s healthy (especially with a hamstring injury), it’s easy to see where the frustration is coming from. The Giants took him with the No. 12 overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and he’ll have high expectations in his rookie year.
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