The New York Giants' steadfast support of Odell Beckham continues.
Team co-owner and president John Mara told local radio station WFAN on Thursday that "I wish we had another dozen players like him."
"He knows that he's got to mature and learn to control his emotions better," Mara said, via NJ.com. "He's working on that. But one thing about that kid is that when he shows up at work, nobody works harder than he does. He's so competitive, even in practice. He wants to win so badly."
Mara did not get into a new contract for Beckham or why Beckham opted to skip voluntary workouts other than saying the two spoke recently. Apparently that conversation went well.
To be clear, I'm not saying the Giants shouldn't have Beckham's back. Given the pressures of the market and Beckham's sometimes mercurial behavior, it's actually been refreshing to see an organization stand behind a superstar who isn't doing anything egregiously wrong. If Beckham's one true sin is wanting to train on his own -- something that a good portion of NFL players wish they could do without fear of repercussion -- than he's worth all the "trouble" otherwise. Outside of a reckless on-field brawl with Josh Norman two years ago, the "trouble" amounts to being too passionate on the sidelines or having fun during the free portion of the offseason. Where have weseen that before?
Beckham is one of the best players in football and deserves to be recognized as such. Until he's not, the Giants won't even dream about trying to change who he is on and off the field.