Josh Norman had a problem with the Giants long before he tangled with Odell Beckham Jr. last December, according to what he told ESPN the Magazine.
The animosity began during a pre-draft interview in 2012.
Norman made 13 interceptions at Coastal Carolina but developed a reputation for “freelancing” outside of assigned coverage. The Giants grilled him about that and he eventually broke down in tears.
They were “trying to get me to admit that I wouldn’t listen to coaching,” Norman said. “That I was a dirtbag. They kept asking me the same question, wanting me to admit to something I didn’t do.”
Norman bolted out of the room and called his agent, telling him he never wanted to play for the Giants.
“I’d rather play against them,” he said that day.
The Panthers drafted Norman in the fifth round and he did play against the Giants, among other things, in Week 15 last season. Now he gets to play them twice a year.
It remains to be seen if there will be any “freelancing” between Norman and Beckham in weeks 3 and 17.