(Yahoo Shutdown Corner) Giants punter explains what was said to OBJ pre-game

[CatMan72]

Quote

Until reporters approached him on Wednesday, New York Giants punter Brad Wing said nobody outside of the Giants organization asked him what went on before Sunday's game between Odell Beckham and the Carolina Panthers, even though he was among the players closest to the situation.

Many Giants reporters tweeted out Wing's account of what he heard. Wing said a player with a baseball bat (presumably Panthers practice-squad player Marcus Ball. who has been identified in a pregame video holding a bat and talking to Beckham) threatened Beckham. Beckham asked the player why he wasn't playing. Wing said the Panthers player told Beckham, "I'll be the reason you don't play today ... And other days," according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. 

Ball seemed to deny the accusation he threatened Beckham, telling Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, "If I had $1 for all the ex-girlfriends that have false accusations about me ... " A simple yes or no might have worked better as a denial.

Wing said he didn't hear any homophobic slurs. Some reports on Tuesday said slurs were directed at Beckham. Wing did think Beckham was "definitely shaken" by the encounter. Vacchiano said that Wing, Josh Brown, Jerome Cunningham were the three closest Giants to the situation and none heard homophobic slurs. When asked Person of the Charlotte Observer if he or the Panthers directed anti-gay threats at Beckham, Panthers cornerback Josh Norman said, "I don't know what you're talking about." 

Wing classified the words directed at Beckham as a "legitimate threat," via Vacchiano's tweets, once the Panthers player wouldn't shake Beckham's hand when he extended it. Beckham was involved in many scuffles during the game, including a head shot on Norman when he wasn't looking, and he was suspended for a game. Wing said nobody outside of the Giants organization had asked him what happened in the pregame incident, before reporters asked him about it Wednesday. Giants coach Tom Coughlin defended Beckham on Wednesday and said he was provoked. 

The Panthers defensive backs have had the baseball bat on the field before other games as a motivational tool. Panthers coach Ron Rivera has said that some of his practice-squad players travel to road games, even though they can't play, as a reward for their hard work during the week.

Rivera said he wanted more specific information and evidence about what happened on Sunday's game before he does anything about it. We'll see if Wing's account of the events will lead to anything.

Link: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/giants-p-brad-wing-explains-what-panthers-said-to-odell-beckham-192640033.html

So Ball, who wasn't dressed to play and only referred to himself caused OBJ to believe he needed to defend himself during the game? LOL

Or maybe OBJ thought Ball was going to assault him with a baseball bat infront of a stadium full of people in the midst of all his teammates with cameras everywhere. 

[Icebox]

Ball's non-denial certainly reeks of guilt. You can sit in any courtroom in this country during a criminal trial and hear similar non-denials from criminal defendants (those foolish enough to testify).

But once again, what does this matter? There's no way OBJ legitimately believed anyone was actually going to beat him with a baseball bat.

The steady stream of excuses coming out of the Giants organization shows just how corrupted and leadership-starved that organization is.

[JawnyBlaze]

Non-denial?  Rivera said he asked Ball directly and Ball said he didn't threaten him.  That's a pretty direct denial.  Even if he DID say exactly what Wing said he said, that's hardly a threat.  That's trash talk.  If beckham legitimately thought that line (if it was indeed said) meant that Ball was gonna beat him with a baseball bat in front of thousands of people then he's got bigger problems than even his diva, self-centered, punk bitch boy attitude.

[Montsta]

Even if Ball DID threaten him, with a bat no less, what the fug does that have to do with OBGYN trying to take off Josh Normans head multiple times, as well as Cortland Finnegan's?

[*FreeFua*]

I find it hard to believe a practice squad player is walking around the field pre game uttering threats to players ACTUALLY playing. 

 

Pretty sure Ball would get laughed off the field if this were the case.

[CRA]

a shame reporters aren't actually reporters....

maybe someone should also of asked Wing, "It appeared on video Beckham was doing a lot of animated yelling at the direction of Ball that eventually lead Ball to approach with the bat......what was Beckham yelling that made Ball approach?.  Is that when he made the threat?"

I mean, NY media isn't actually trying to report what happened Sunday....they are trying to report what happens from a certain vantage point.  Which isn't actually reporting.

 

also, trash talk is part of the NFL.  Not sure why I get the Giants and NY media trying to act like this is something new and a unique thing.  The getting in Beckham's head defense they are applying is the most comical. 

Yeah, Norman, Sherman, etc...both those guys plan to be physical and trash talk you to see what they can gain from it on the field.  That is part of football.  Tom Coughlin using that as his defense is sad.  Tom Coughlin is a joke.  The discipline guy is now an enabler.  Heck, the whole team is so dependent on Beckham the entire organization from FO, QB, HC are enablers of his ways simply b/c they need him to such a comical degree.

 

[Bartin]

If he did say that, I'd just cut him. He a practice squad nobody whose name I barely recognized when it hit the news this week. He really has no excuse for being on the Giants side of the field in warmups regardless of what he said. I agree that WAY too much is being made of this but he was in the wrong and because it is making headlines he should be punished accordingly if he did indeed communicate a verbal threat to Beckham while holding a baseball bat even if Beckham antagonized him. It's not worth the headache.

I will say that I'm more perturbed with his choice of words in his denial though. "Ex-GF allegations" is NOT what a Panther should be bringing up in light of the Greg Hardy situation whether he meant it innocently or not.

[tight lines]

Its kind of interesting that he seems to remember exactly what ball said verbatim, but doesnt specify what obj said. I wonder if there is a reason for that?

[Ruff]

So, OBJ thought that he could physically assault another player, who had not said anything to him, because a practice squad player had a bat?

Lol, this guy is a fuging clown. 

[TheRumGone]

 

First of all ball got called over there. You could see Odell screaming at him. 

2nd I've heard ten times worse things said pregame high school baseball games.

 

"I'll be the reason you don't play today and other days" lol that's it? That is the tamest trash talk I've ever heard in my life.

[Riverboat Ron]

Even if Ball came out with a tablet showing a slideshow of OBJ's mom getting gangbanged by the entire Panthers secondary, still no excuse for headhunting.

[teeray]

That's it?

LOL

[Ruff]

1 minute ago, TheRumGone said:

 

First of all ball got called over there. You could see Odell screaming at him. 

2nd I've heard ten times worse things said pregame high school baseball games.

 

"I'll be the reason you don't play today and other days" lol that's it? That is the tamest trash talk I've ever heard in my life.

Don't forget, he also called him a ballerina!!!!!!! The horror!

[KSpan]

At this point, I sort of feel bad for the Giants. These feeble attempts at justification completely defy logic and rational thought and really only make them look worse to anyone that isn't a Giant homer.