The NFL has decided to uphold the suspensionof Odell Beckham Jr. despite his appeal. As a result, he will not be available for the New York Giants do-or-die game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night. It is no secret that the lion’s share of this team’s offensive success rest on the shoulders of Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr.
After all, the New YorkGiants are 24thin the league in rushing. The second-best receiver on the New York Giants is Rueben Randle with a paltry 638 yards.
Given that the Giants secondary and linebacking corps get shredded routinely because the Giants are 31st in the league in team sacks, this team may be headed for trouble on Sunday.
As a Giants fan it would be easy for me to adopt a bias point of view and campaign for Odell Beckham Jr’s presence on the field in this piece. It would be convenient for me to look past his behavior this past Sunday and selfishly demand for him to play.However, Odell Beckham’s actions this past Sunday were impossible for me to defend. The final nail in his coffin was his epic lunge into the head of Josh Norman.
I admire Odell Beckham Jr’s passion for the game. I do not deny the fact that his primary objective is to help the team win Football games. However, he approached the game this past Sunday looking to win a one-on-one personal war against Josh Norman. It’s reminiscent to how one approaches a game of Nba 2K16 against their best friend that they have abeef with.
With three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, Odell put his own personal success and agenda over the interests of the team. His actions hurt his reputation and gave further credence to his growing list of critics. The reasons and excuses for his behavior have been weighed, measured and found wanting. If he was thrown off of his game by a Carolina Panthers practice squad player and a baseball bat, then his skin is not as thick as I thought it was.
Beckham has to be aware that he will be a target of all NFL cornerbacks and defenses each and every week. Teams will attempt to throw him off his game physically and mentally especially given the fact that he is the main catalyst of an NFL offense. Cornerbacks will call him every four-letter word and expletive in the book.
If he sees this from a surface level viewpoint, he will see it as disrespect and engage in a tit-for-tat battle.
This will throw him off his game and he will forget the greater purpose, which is winning. He must begin to view such actions as a compliment and an indirect sign of respect.This will make such actions from others easier to embrace and absorb. He must embrace the following phrase: If I have more haters, I must be doing something right” principle.
This is why I’m glad that the NFL did not overturn the 1-game suspension for Beckham. It is very important for Odell to realize that he cannot fall prey to mind games by opposing defenses. Now he will have no choice but to watch helplessly as the Giants attempt to salvage this season without him. I feel that this is a valuable lesson that he must learn, even if the lesson is learned the hard way.
I pray that this is the final time that I hear Odell Beckham Jr’s name every five seconds for a bad reason.
I will not attempt to speak for all Giants fans. So on my own behalf, I will make the following appeal.
Please stay classy, Odell Beckham Jr. You’re better than this.
Image: DoD released to public domain
