Odell Beckham Jr had nearly as many penalty yards as he did receiving yards in Monday night’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He caught just three passes for 23 yards, and it was the 15-yard penalty he got in the second quarter that made headlines.
Beckham took a borderline late hit from Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes, but the officials didn’t see it. Instead of letting it go, the star receiver shoved Rhodes and then bumped an official while complaining. He was lucky he was only flagged and not ejected.
And whether the play was Beckham’s fault or not, his own quarterback chose not to defend him after the game.
“He’s got to play smart,” Eli Manning told reporters, via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. “He can’t afford to do anything they’ll call. He’s kind of brought that upon himself, so he’s got to realize that… No doubt. Can’t afford the penalties.”
Beckham is receiving less and less support from his teammates and coaches with each outburst, but he still feels he is being singled out.
“There’s never an explanation (from the officials),” he said. “It’s always it’s just my fault. That’s all I look at it as, it’s my fault. I just have to understand if I sneeze the wrong way it’ll be a flag, it’ll be a fine. If I tie my shoe the wrong way it might be a fine or a flag.
“As tough as it is to understand for a 23-year-old who has been blessed with a lot – God has given me a lot of ability, amazing amount of everything – and it seems like it’s all working against you,” Beckham added. “But what are you gonna do, are you gonna back down or stand up? And I’ve never been one to back down.”
Even Giants head coach Ben McAdoo said last week that Beckham needs to do a better job of controlling his emotions after Odell nearly injured himself while taking out his frustrations on a kicking net (video here). Whether officials are targeting him or not, Beckham needs to realize he is hurting the team.
