Beckham: I should be allowed to be myself

In last month’s 27-23 victory against the Baltimore Ravens, luminary wide receiver of the league Odell Beckham Jr. expressed his belief that playing in the NFL should be fun and players should not take themselves so seriously all time.

According to the New York Times on October 16, 2016, Beckham has not spoken publicly. On the contrary, he is of the opinion that he should be allowed to have free reign to be himself.

Pro-Football Reference.com indicates that Beckham was fined $24,309 as a part of his weekly Beckham-excise tax, for excessive celebrations and unsportsmanlike conduct. With regard to penalties, 432 yards in total, the Giants are close to leading the entire league in penalty yardage due to unsportsmanlike conduct, which has been a priority during each weekly progress meeting.

In effort to counter Beckham’s showmanship, numerous well-respected members of the Giants organizations have approached Beckham to caution against impulsiveness. However, Beckham responded to the media that were he to implement the restrictions on his exuberant play, he would “no longer have fun playing football.”

Aftermath of Beckham

In a Monday morning meeting, head coach of the New York Giants Ben McAdoo came close to excoriating Beckham’s behavior by saying that he witnessed “bad football. McAdoo referred to Beckham’s excessive celebrations, as well as miscues on offense and defense. These are items to clean up.

"“He came up to me right after…We had a discussion about it. Can’t have it. He knows that. Beckham went out and wanted to fire up the kickoff coverage team and the defense. He knows we can’t have it.”"

The Giants have expressed an intention to reform Beckham but have not suspended him. There have not been any signs of negative consequences immediately after each incident under McAdoo. Unlike under McAdoo’s predecessor Tom Coughlin, the new coach has adopted a more mild-mannered approach of issuing his opinion after each game. He clearly frowns upon what he considers bad judgment and poor temperament.

The Giants will play the Los Angles Rams before their Week 8 bye which is expected to draw the world’s attention on Beckham. The Rams were just ranked several teams ahead of the Giants despite coming under pressure for not meeting their expectations offensively early on in the season.