Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he will no longer allow his team to bring baseball bats on the field before games and denied reports that his players directed homophobic slurs at Giants star Odell Beckham Jr. before Sunday's contest.
Rivera announced his new policy regarding the baseball bats Tuesday, one day after photos and videos surfaced of star cornerback Josh Norman and practice squad player Marcus Ball carrying a black bat on the field during pregame warm-ups.
Referring to the issue as a "soap opera," Rivera said he wanted to eliminate the pregame bat tradition as a topic of potential controversy.