Giants GM Jerry Reese on Odell Beckham: Time to grow up

Odell Beckham has some growing up to do and New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese certainly doesn’t disagree that the biggest star on his team needs to do some maturing.

From a sideline tantrum aimed at a kicking net earlier this season to reportedly punching a wall in the Giants locker room following Sunday’s loss at the Green Bay Packers, it hasn’t been an ideal season for Beckham. While he was still productive on the field, his off the field theatrics and tirade are keeping him from fulfilling his potential. There’s a fine line between offbeat and juvenile and Beckham often runs roughshod over that delineation.

And Reese, who took Beckham three years ago in the first round of the NFL Draft, must now mentor the enigma that is his best player on offense.

“This is what I see – I see a guy who needs to think about some of the things that he does. Everybody knows that he is a gifted player, but there are some things that he has done that he needs to look at himself in the mirror and be honest with himself about, and I think he will do that,” Reese said on Monday. “We will help him with that, but he has to help himself, and we believe he will do that. He is a smart guy, but sometimes he doesn’t do smart things.”

Beckham didn’t help matters last week when he was pictured on Justin Bieber’s boat, partying with several of his teammates just hours after a Week 17 win at the Washington Redskins. That he would do this – albeit on his off day – just days before his playoff debut is puzzling.

“We all have had to grow up at different times in our lives, and I think it is time for him to do that. He has been here for three years now and is a little bit of a lightning rod because of what he does on the football field, but the things he does off the football field, he has to be responsible for those things and we will talk through it,” Reese said. “I know he is a smart guy, and I believe he understands that he has a responsibility being one of the faces of this franchise, and I think he will accept that responsibility.”

Reese said the Giants are investigating the reports of whether Beckham punched the wall in the visiting team locker room, putting a hole in it. Beckham had four catches for 28 yards on Sunday despite being targeted 11 times. He had three drops in the game.