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NFL notebook: Giants owner rips Beckham Jr. over 'bad judgment'

[March 26, 2018] New York Giants owner John Mara admitted his disappointment with his star wide receiver at Sunday's NFL owners meetings in Orlando, sharing that while Beckham Jr. may not be on the trading block, he is not an "untouchable. " Mara was non-committal on any contract updates, saying that "we'll just have to see what happens."

"I can't answer that one way or the other," Mara said. "We're certainly not shopping him. Again, when you're coming off a season when you're 3-13 and played as poorly as we played, I wouldn't say that anyone is untouchable."

A video appearing to show star the star wide receiver holding a brown cigarette or cigar caught the attention of the Giants and the NFL. Both acknowledged the existence of the seven-second video that began circulating earlier this month on social media while Beckham was in Europe on a Nike-sponsored trip. In the video, a man who appears to be Beckham is holding the unknown substance next to a pizza on a bed and talking with a woman. The woman is holding a credit card, and an unknown white substance is also purportedly pictured.

"I think too often he allows himself to be put in bad situations and needs to use better judgment," Mara said of Beckham Jr., who is entering the fifth and final year of his $8.5 million rookie deal. "As I've said before, I'm tired of answering questions about Odell's behavior and what the latest incident is. I think he knows what we expect of him, and now it's up to him."

--Houston Texans owner Bob McNair shed some light on what Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has told his peers regarding the allegations of racial and sexual workplace misconduct made against him, for which Richardson is currently being investigated by the NFL.

Sports Illustrated reported in December that Richardson settled with three former employees over sexual-harassment allegations and one former scout who alleged Richardson used a racial slur toward him. The SI report spurred the league's ongoing investigation and led Richardson to announce later that day that he would put the franchise he founded in 1993 up for sale.

"I understand what he's saying," McNair told ESPN from the NFL owners meetings. "Sometimes people choose to try to make something go away rather than fighting it. I think his regret is he didn't fight some of these things."

--Ndamukong Suh was reportedly weighing multiple offers, including one from the New York Jets. However, the Jets may be reconsidering.

Jets owner Christopher Johnson told reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando on Sunday that the team has withdrawn its offer to the free-agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

"Our thinking just changed a bit," Johnson said without elaborating.

The owner decided Suh was not a fit in New York after meeting with general manager Mike Maccagnan, Sports Illustrated reports. According to Albert Breer of The MMQB, New York's proposal to Suh included a deadline that essentially expired late last week.

--The Pittsburgh Steelers still hope to work out a long-term deal with star running back Le'Veon Bell, but the team is putting negotiations on hold for the moment while it addresses free agency and the NFL draft.

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"We're not intentionally ignoring that. More urgent business needs to get taken care of," Pittsburgh general manager Kevin Colbert said, per ESPN. "We will reassess where that is. He'll reassess where his interests are as well. I anticipate us continuing that process once we get through the free agency period and maybe even through the draft. The draft can change things on both sides."

Bell, 26, was hit with the franchise tag -- valued at $14.544 million -- for the 2018 season. Last year, Bell was the recipient of Pittsburgh's exclusive tag at a rate of $12.12 million.

--Former Washington Redskins wide receiver Terrelle Pryor signed a free-agent deal with the Jets, the team announced.

The two sides were reported to be hammering out final details last week. Pryor tweeted a picture of himself in a Jets uniform on Friday, and a photo of signing his contract on Saturday with the message, "Jet UP."

The 6-foot-4, 228-pound Pryor gives the Jets a big target for whoever lines up behind center in 2018. A former quarterback, the 28-year-old Pryor flopped as a free-agent signing in Washington last year, catching just 20 passes before landing on injured reserve in November.

--The Cleveland Browns have agreed to a two-year deal with former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton, the team announced on Twitter.

The move adds a fourth quarterback to Cleveland's roster, with the team widely expected to take another with the first overall pick in next month's draft.

Acquired from the Buffalo Bills earlier this offseason, Tyrod Taylor has already been named the starter by head coach Hue Jackson, who said Saturday he doesn't view Taylor as simply a "bridge quarterback." Also on the team are third-year signal-callers Cody Kessler (eight starts in 2016) and Kevin Hogan (one start in 2017), both of whom backed up then-rookie DeShone Kizer in 2017. A second-round pick last year, Kizer was traded to the Green Bay Packers earlier this offseason.

--The longtime feud between former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher and one-time franchise quarterback Vince Young seemingly continues, as Fisher reportedly revealed he hasn't responded to an alleged apology letter from his former QB because Fisher's name was misspelled.

"Yes, I got a letter from Vince," Fisher said to PaulKuharsky.com. "And I didn't respond. My name was spelled wrong on the letter, the letter came from the University of Texas, and I had no way of knowing if it was from him. It came from the athletic department. But my name was spelled incorrectly.

Young, once the Titans' passer whose star faded following Pro Bowl appearances in two of his first four NFL seasons in 2006 and 2009, told the NFL Network in 2013 he penned a letter to Fisher to apologize for his volatile relationship with the coach, describing himself as "immature and not paying attention and not listening, and taking my frustration out on a lot of people wasn't the right thing to do."

--Field Level Media

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