David Tyree had a lot to say about former Giants general manager Dave Gettleman.
The former receiver, famous for his one-handed-helmet catch in the team’s Super Bowl XLII win over the Patriots, was the director of player development from 2014-2020. Gettleman took the helm of the franchise in 2018 and signaled the culture was shifting.
“I knew him prior to ‘GM’ Gettleman,” Tyree told The Post’s “Blue Rush” podcast. “He was a completely different dude when he came in.”
As GM, Gettleman revamped the player personnel department, hiring sports psychologist Dr. Lani Lawrence in 2020 and leaving Tyree out of the job.
Disgusting,” Tyree said of his ex-boss. “Without saying all the details, they made me like I was a part of the problem of the New York Giants’ culture than a potential solution.”
Tyree pointed to his long history with the team, going back to being a sixth-round pick in the 2003 draft. He returned to the team in his front office capacity under GM Jerry Reese, but saw problems arise when Gettleman took over.
“I had some unknown enemies when he came in,” Tyree said. “It wasn’t good the four years prior, too … I was at least positioned where there was respect and we were going through hard times and trying to turn the culture.”
A big task put on Tyree’s plate as the director of player development was working with the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. The mercurial wideout tested the patience of Gettleman and the rest of the front office until he was traded to Cleveland in a 2018 blockbuster — five months after receiving a five-year, $90 million contract.
“He was not a cancer, I can absolutely say he was not a cancer,” Tyree said. “But Odell handled a lot of things, especially toward the end, the wrong way. Today’s athlete wants a seat at the table, but you have to be a little bit more tactful in the way you approach it. I would have loved to be in a position to help OBJ better… but he was doing things to literally undermine authority to the extent where they felt like there was no other decision to make.
David Tyree didn’t have many kind words for Dave Gettleman during an appearance the The Post’s ‘Blue Rush’ podcast. Blue Rush podcast
Dave Gettleman’s Giants tenure didn’t leave a good impression on David Tyree. Robert Sabo“Was he part of the problem? No he was calling out the problem.”
Since his front office days came to an end with the Giants, Tyree has gone in a different direction. He owns and run a Clean Juice location in Morristown, N.J. as a family operation. In November 2020, he told The Post he wanted to get back into the player development game.
“I plan on going back to work,” Tyree said. “I love the challenge of growth, life, leadership, to some extent executive. My life has been serving leadership.”
