‘It’s always my fault’: Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. bemoans latest penalty
Odell Beckham Jr. thinks he’s on the radar of NFL officials more now that he’s a household name. But that didn’t stop the New York Giants receiver from drawing unwanted attention to himself, as well as a penalty flag, Monday night against Minnesota.
Beckham didn’t hold back during the second quarter when he thought Minnesota’s Xavier Rhodes hit him late going out of bounds. While carrying on about the incident, Beckham appeared to bump into Rhodes and line judge Tom Symonette and got flagged for taunting. Rhodes was not penalized on the play.
“There’s never an explanation [from the officials],” Beckham said after the 24-10 Giants loss. “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. But what are you gonna do? Are you gonna back down or stand up? And I’ve never been one to back down. I’m going to stand up.”
This time, taking a stand cost his team a 15-yard penalty. In December, Beckham was suspended for a game by the league after drawing three personal fouls while playing against arch-nemesis Josh Gordon, then with the Carolina Panthers and now with the Washington Redskins.
“He’s got to be aware,” Giants quarterback Eli Manning said of Beckham after Monday’s game. “People are looking for him. He’s got to play smart, and he can’t afford to do anything there. They’re going to call him. He’s brought that on himself, and he’s got to realize that.”
Beckham did admit he has to learn to be smarter on the field because, in his words, “it’s all against you.”
“You have to know that,” Beckham said. “You have to understand it. It’s never going to deter me from what I want to do. It’s never going to deter us from the goals that we have set, my goals that I have set. It’s not going to stop me. It’s just going to make me have to work harder, smarter and just understand that it’s all against you. It is what it is. Whatever you want to call it, it’s against you. And you have to live with that.”
Twitter: @chewkiii
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