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New York Giants: Odell Beckham Jr. must be suspended

By Ryan Disdier

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It’s time to stop giving Odell Beckham Jr. a free pass. After his most recent actions, the NFL must intervene and suspend him.

The New York Giants missed a litany of opportunities (we’ll save that for a different day), en route to another hear-breaking, gut-wrenching loss, this time against the undefeated Carolina Panthers. At 6-8, New York’s season is likely over.

Unfortunately for the Giants, their biggest star got too hot. During the course of the game, second-year receiver Odell Beckham Jr. committed absolutely atrocious actions, and the NFL must suspend him accordingly.

For those of you who didn’t see the game, you missed what was essentially a redux of any UFC fight you’ve watched. In fact, in my preview I said the match up between OBJ and Josh Norman would be like Conor McGregor fighting himself. I obviously didn’t intend for the statement to be taken literally by the two players, but that’s what most of the first quarter was.

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Things got chippy, which is what many expected. But things got out of hand quickly, and Beckham was the main catalyst. Although the first exchange was initiated by Norman, it was all Beckham the rest of the way. He threw punches, got his hands under Norman’s facemask and continued to act in a petulant manner.

“While he has a reputation for making unbelievable catches, Beckham is quickly catching a stigma for being a dirty player with an attitude problem.”

One would assume Beckham was utterly frustrated with himself for dropping what was perhaps the easiest touchdown of his career. We’ve seen it before with Beckham, as he gave Alterraun Verner a WWE-style slam and then brawled with a water cooler in Tampa Bay after an interception.

Against Carolina, it was more of the same, except Norman played the role of the water cooler.

Beckham’s petulance turned dangerous later in the game, as he launched himself head-first into Norman’s helmet. Beckham, who resembled a missile, caught Norman right in the chin, and it was an absolutely horrifying sight. Color commentator Troy Aikman noted the move could’ve broken Norman’s jaw.

First and foremost, it was a miscarriage of justice that Beckham, who accumulated three personal-foul penalties, wasn’t ejected early in the game. He should’ve been, but that’s neither here nor there. Simply put, the officiating crew erred by not tossing Beckham.

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Players have been ejected for much less than what Beckham did, and it’s perplexing that all that happened was two, off-setting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

If you want, go ahead and call Beckham a fiery competitor or blame it on the early drop. Any way you look at it, Beckham intentionally tried to injure another player. If the NFL wants to be taken seriously, it cannot simply slap Beckham with a fine.

Beckham wasn’t just taking off his helmet, taunting an opponent or kicking a ball; he was deliberately trying to hurt Josh Norman.

I understand sometimes players who are viewed as superstars get some leeway with the refs. That’s why guys like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers get some calls that Jimmy Clausen can only dream of. However, there comes a time when the integrity of the game supersedes a player’s reputation.

Beckham’s a hot-head, and that’s okay to some extent. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and Norman got in his head, causing Beckham to lose his cool.

Dec 20, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) signals first down after a catch and run against the Carolina Panthers during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Giants 38-35. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

But when his emotions become so out of control that he’s literally trying to physically harm players by way of cheap shots, something needs to be done. While he has a reputation for making unbelievable catches, Beckham is quickly catching a stigma for being a dirty player with an attitude problem.

A fine is guaranteed, but the NFL can’t stop there. In a time when concussions are as big of an issue as ever, suspending a player who targeted an opponent’s head seems like a justifiable reason for a suspension. It wasn’t just a hit on a defenseless receiver in the field of play. It was an obvious attempt to gain retribution through the cheapest of cheap hits. Beckham needs to be held accountable for his horrendous actions.

If a suspension is indeed the way the league goes, it will be interesting to see how long Beckham is shut down for. It wouldn’t surprise me if the NFL suspended the talented receiver for the remainder of the season. The kid has to learn sooner or later to keep his emotions in check and to use his head (not like he used it Sunday, obviously).

If it’s not the NFL, Tom Coughlin needs to bench Beckham. I get that New York technically isn’t eliminated from playoff contention quite yet and benching OBJ would hinder any postseason hopes. But Coughlin, who has stressed integrity throughout his career, needs to hold his players accountable for their actions. In fact, it would be laughably hypocritical if Coughlin doesn’t bench Beckham, considering he benched the former-Giant Damontre Moore for a much, much less serious unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

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I’ll give Beckham credit for calming down later in the game and collecting his wits. He also went up and down the sidelines apologizing to his teammates. And yes, he was tremendous down the stretch — he scored the game-tying touchdown and followed it up with an Allen Iverson-like stepover — but that doesn’t excuse him from his heinous actions.

Tom Coughlin may or may not be New York’s head coach next year, but he needs to do something now to send a message to his talented, emotional wide receiver.

Writer’s note:

If you’ve watched Beckham since his debut, you were kind of waiting for this to happen… With that being said, Beckham’s actions disappoint me. I don’t care how many incredible catches he makes, leaping at another player’s head is inexcusable. There’s no denying Beckham is an ultra-talented receiver, but that doesn’t mean he can do whatever he wants. This incident can’t be taken lightly, no matter how brilliant Beckham is with the ball in his hands.

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