Giants punter Brad Wing says Odell Beckham Jr. will continue to mature

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Thursday, January 12, 2017

New York Giants punter Brad Wing says his friend and teammateOdell Beckham Jr.understands that he needs to practice more self-control.

"He's always cared about what the youth think of him, the younger generation, and I know he always wants to be the best role model for them, and he understands things like that are not helping him in that way," Wing told the New York Post. "He understands. He just has a lot of passion, and me and him are both learning how to harness that in a positive direction."

Beckham punched a hole in a wall outside the visiting locker room following a playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, sources told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio. Wing said he didn't think much of the damage.

"But you got to remember, I was a part of the losing team as well," Wing told the Post. "I didn't really give too much thought to it. It's obviously frustrating. Everybody has different ways they deal with frustration. I don't know. It's a dry sheet wall."

Wing and Beckham have been friends since both played for LSU, and the punter offered to pay for the repairs if Beckham is found responsible for the damage.

Beckham's alleged outburst was the culmination of a season of incidents involving the third-year wide receiver. He was fined at least six times for infractions, including excessive celebration,unsportsmanlike conduct,verbal abuse of an official and a uniform violation. He also drew attention for his interactions with a kicking net over the course of several weeks.

Photos of Beckham and Giants teammates on a boat in Miami ahead of Sunday's wild-card loss drew criticism as an example of a lack of focus.

On Monday, quarterbackEli Manning said Beckham has "got to back it up" if he continues drawing attention to himself with his behavior on and off the field.

Wing told the Post he believes that Beckham will continue to mature.

"Rome wasn't built in a day. You don't go from a boy to a man overnight, and this league's a very demanding league, and I have all the faith in the world anything he wants to improve on he can put his mind to it and get it done," Wing said.

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