Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the best wide receivers in football and one of the most athletic people on the planet — there’s no two ways about that. However, there is quite a bit of baggage that comes along with him.
During his time with the New York Giants, Beckham frequently found himself unable to control his emotions. That led to on-field outbursts, bizarre sideline incidents with kicking nets, fights with Josh Norman and other opposing players, punching holes in Lambeau Field walls and, of course, nonsensical interviews with Josina Anderson and Lil Wayne where he appeared to take aim at the team and then-quarterback Eli Manning.
All of those issues factored into the trade that sent Beckham to the Cleveland Browns. And all of those issues are why Beckham was not ranked the NFL’s No. 1 wide receiver by a panel of executives, coaches and players.
Ultimately, the ESPN panel ranked Beckham No. 4 overall, but that’s not the interesting part. The interesting part is that one anonymous “prominent” head coach called OBJ out for quitting on plays with both the Giants and Browns.
“I’ve been watching him quit on plays for years,” the coach said. “[A] mental roller coaster.”
An anonymous NFL veteran piled on, suggesting that the mental aspect of football may be too much for Beckham and that a lack of team success seems to follow him around.
“The whole game seems like a lot for him. At some point you have to say none of your teams have been successful. At some point you have to wonder about that,” the player said.
Some may find it blasphemous to question Beckham simply because of his talent, but there’s no denying the mental struggles he’s endures since entering the league in 2014.
