Eli Manning Defends Odell Beckham Jr.'s Play, Behavior

In an appearance on ESPN's Mike & Mike on Friday morning, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning defended teammate Odell Beckham Jr.

As seen in the following tweet courtesy of Mike & Mike, the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback voiced his support for the controversial wide receiver:

While OBJ is among the NFL's most-productive wideouts, he has often come under fire for his antics on the sidelines or even off the field.

Beckham had multiple outbursts during games last season, but he was primarily criticized for a trip taken by the Giants' wide receivers prior to their playoff game against the Green Bay Packers.

New York's wideouts went to Miami, Florida, following their Week 17 win over the Washington Redskins, which led to questions about their focus.

The G-Men lost 38-13 to the Packers, and it was then reported that Beckham punched a hole in the locker-room wall at Lambeau Field out of frustration, as seen in this photo from ESPN.com's Jordan Raanan:

Although the distractions are plentiful, Beckham's numbers jump off the page.

He set a career high with 101 receptions in 2016 and also racked up 1,367 yards with 10 touchdowns.

The 2014 No. 12 overall pick out of LSU has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three NFL seasons and has yet to post less than 1,305 yards and 10 touchdowns in a single campaign.

Few receivers can impact a game as significantly as Beckham, which is why Manning and the Giants have incentive to look past his other deficiencies as much as possible.