OBJ’s high school coach texting, nudging for possible return to New Orleans

Add another person to the attempted recruitment of Odell Beckham Jr. to come play for his hometown team, the New Orleans Saints.

Beckham’s high school coach at Isidore Newman School, Nelson Stewart, said he’s swapped texts with Beckham.

“I’ve texted him and nudged him a little,” Stewart said on the latest edition of the Crescent City Sportsmakers Podcast. “I’m obviously a little selfish on that front.

“He’s got to make the best choice for him. He’s almost 30 years old. This will be his third team. You hope he can go somewhere where he can get good chemistry with a quarterback; I think that’s really, really important.”

The podcast was recorded several hours before multiple reports linked Beckham to a deal with the Los Angeles Rams.

Stewart tried to impart a little hometown flavor.

“I sent a picture of the (Newman) scoreboard to him the other day,” said Stewart, “and said ‘it would be nice if you would come home.’

“He went to the Superdome to play for a national championship. It would be nice if he would play there on Sundays.”

Regardless of OBJ’s decision, Stewart is one of his biggest fans.

“I enjoy each year I get to watch him play football,” he said. “Wherever he goes, I think he can still be an elite player in the National Football League.”

Stewart’s Greenies have a first-round bye in the Division III bracket this week and will face fourth-seeded Episcopal on the road next week in the quarterfinals.

The Crescent City Sportsmakers Podcast, presented by Southland Plumbing Supply, is available through your podcast provider or you can listen here.