Odell Beckham Jr clearly still has not gotten over the way the New York Giants went about trading him, but Pat Shurmur feels confident that the team handled it the right way given the circumstances.
Beckham spoke about his time with the Giants during a lengthy interview with Mark Anthony Green of GQ, and the star wide receiver said he “felt disrespected they weren’t even man enough to even sit me down to my face and tell me what’s going on.” He also said he believes Shurmur was the reason he was traded and was unhappy with the way the coach acted after the deal with the Cleveland Browns was made.
“To be called like that and then be texted by your coach and be like, ‘Oh yeah, I heard the news.’ Yeah, you heard the news? It happened because of you,” Beckham said. “The reason I’m gone is because of you.”
Shurmur was asked about the interview on Wednesday, and he seemed surprised by Beckham’s remarks. He also said Odell was out of the country at the time that trade was completed, which made it difficult to get in touch with him.
Odell Beckham (in GQ) said of Pat Shurmur: “(To) be texted by your coach and be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I heard the news.’ Yeah, you heard the news? (The trade) happened because of you. The reason I'm gone is because of you.”
Here’s Pat Shurmur’s reaction:
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) July 24, 2019
It goes without saying that there are hard feelings on both sides. Beckham has taken numerous swipe at the Giants and said they held him back, while Giants GM Dave Gettleman has subtly hinted he believes Beckham was part of the problem in New York in recent years. A divorce was probably best for all parties, but Beckham thinks it should have been handled better.
