Odell Beckham Jr. must be wary of similar path to Antonio Brown
By Joe Heller
Odell Beckham Jr. has shown many primadonna tendencies but he must be careful not to veer too far into a similar path as Antonio Brown.
The Antonio Brown circus — off-field allegations aside — was all over the place in the 2019 season. From loud complaints about his helmet to the frostbite incident to demanding his release with the Raiders, it got off to a wild start. It only got more maddening as he then signed with the Patriots before seeing one game of action then getting released again for the aforementioned off-field accusations.
Elsewhere in the NFL, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. became increasingly and adamantly unhappy with his lack of targets. Beckham was arguably the best and one of the most exciting wide receivers in the NFL while with the New York Giants. But Big Blue traded him to Cleveland just one season after signing him to a big contract extension.
But with Beckham with the Browns and his unhappiness currently growing coupled with his premature departure from New York, it’s similar to Antonio Brown in his final moments with the Steelers. Brown essentially quit on his team before the final games of the season, called out his quarterback and thus forced a trade to Oakland, which led to this season’s debacle.
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The growing similarities between Brown and Beckham in terms of their presence in the locker room don’t stop there either. OBJ’s social media antics and his diva-like demeanor, though oft-entertaining, are detrimental to the teams at times. And all of it could lead to a vast change in perception about Beckham.
A year ago, teams would have jumped at the chance to grab Beckham based on his immense talent. However, the added headaches he brings would almost surely diminish the number of teams willing to take him on now.
To be clear, Beckham and Brown are different people and players. Specifically, OBJ doesn’t have any serious off-field incidents attached to him, which makes it a different story altogether. However, both players are primadonnas and, in regards to that type of behavior, they’re similar. Their actions in the locker room and on social media make themselves bigger than the team.
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Because you’re talking about an elite talent, several teams would still flirt with the notion of adding Beckham. Having said that, his antics are leading him down a path where no player should want to end up, one similar to Brown’s. Maybe he can remedy that moving forward with a coaching change in Cleveland but it’s something he must be wary of.