Despite the “culture change” narrative after the New York Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr., Michael Thomas thinks highly of his old teammate.
“Culture change” was the narrative spun in the wake of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman wants everyone to believe that he can finally build a winner without Beckham’s distractions.
However, Giants safety Michael Thomas has nothing but good things to say about his former teammate. Thomas appeared on “CMB” on WFAN and spoke about the culture in the locker room and Beckham.
“I can say this about Odell man…one of the best teammates you can ask for, especially for somebody of his caliber, stardom, rockstar, whatever category you want to put him in….one of the best dudes you can be around,” Thomas said. “Worked hard every single day on the football field, carried himself well in the locker room, approachable. Think about the millions of requests he probably gets every single day…autographs, time, whatever. You can say ‘man my little cousin really wants you to sign this,’ he’ll crack a joke and sign it, hop on the Facetime with the family member for you. He was one of the best teammates you can ask for.”
Obviously, Thomas isn’t the only teammate who has gone to bat for Beckham since his exile to the Cleveland Browns. As Thomas notes, Beckham is always one to make time for others. He has a great reputation with the fans and he genuinely seems like a stand-up guy.
However, his tendency to make time for others isn’t always a good thing. Take his most recent public spat with Colin Cowherd. He doesn’t need to respond to all the critics because it just takes the focus off of his incredible talent.
Moreover, his new head coach, Freddie Kitchens, isn’t completely satisfied with Beckham’s offseason program thus far. If he is dominating come Week 1, everyone will forget about missing voluntary workouts, but Beckham always has a way of finding the limelight—for better or worse.
It’s difficult to fault Gettleman for making the move. We still don’t know exactly who will win the Beckham trade yet. Even with the full endorsement of his former teammates, it’s hard to deny that Beckham brings a circus wherever he goes.
