Dave Gettleman’s no gentleman.
Gettleman has been criticized, most notably by Mike Francesa, for staying silent publicly during the benching of Eli Manning. At least two former players know what it’s like to be ignored by Gettleman. Ex-Giants safety Landon Collins, who did not receive the franchise tag from Gettleman during the offseason and was allowed to walk away to the rival Redskins for nothing, said Gettleman didn’t communicate with him during the process.
“No dignity at all,” Collins told told NJ.com. “I didn’t know what was going on. He’s a liar. He lied to everybody. So that’s a man I do not trust. I would hope nobody else would, too.”
And then there’s Redskins cornerback Josh Norman, who calls Gettleman “full of [expletive].”
“If you really want to be honest, every time I see him, I really want to like smash [his] face in the grass. That’s how I really feel about it,” Norman told the website.
Gettleman has a history of messy exits as the GM of the Panthers and Giants, the list of displeased players including Odell Beckham Jr., who said he was sent to Cleveland “to die.” Gettleman, 68, acknowledged over the summer that he’s made missteps regarding player relations.
“There are times where my bedside manner hasn’t been the best. People will tell you that millennials want honesty,” Gettleman told Sports Illustrated. “Sometimes I’ve been a little too abrupt and to the point. And I think it’s because I’ve never been a pussyfooter. I’ve never dallied around. … Maybe there has to be a softer, kinder Dave Gettleman. Yeah, I’m 68, but I’m not an old man falling down. I’d like to think that I can learn, that I’m agile and can still learn.”
Collins, the 25-year-old who signed a six-year, $84 million contract with Washington and said he’d run Gettleman over on the sideline, told NJ.com that Giants owners John Mara and Steve Tisch said they were sorry for how his exit was handled. Collins would’ve been fine with any outcome as long as Gettleman had been up front with him, but Collins says he didn’t hear a peep from Gettleman.
“Once he came out and started talking about how we were problems, and they got rid of the problems, I’m trying to figure out: When have I ever been a problem?” Collins told the website. “Don’t group me in something that I wasn’t the cause of.
“I’ve got a lot of animosity toward [the Giants]. But when that week [Week 4] comes down, that’s when I’m going to let that loose. I’m over it. But once that week comes, all that aggression is going to come back.”
Gettleman rescinded Norman’s franchise tag with the Panthers in 2016.
“He did it without even talking to anyone,” Norman said. “I wish we had a conversation or something. But no. How is that respect and dignity? He’s full of [expletive]. I mean, you know that, right? How is it dignity when you find out through the news? Is that dignity? Is that his way of calling that dignity?”