On Tuesday, the New York Giants shocked the football world when they traded wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns.
Despite reports that Beckham had given the Giants a “short list” of teams he’d ideally like to end up with, news of the trade caught him completely off guard.
After taking a few days to process the move, Beckham offered an emotional farewell to the Giants organization and “real” Giants fans on Thursday morning.
“So many mixed emotions and feelings. This is all, a lot to process but it is reality. I don’t know exactly what to say, so just gotta keep it real and short,” Beckham wrote. “I want to thank the New York Giants organization for giving me an opportunity to do what God put me on this earth to do; I want to thank the organization and the owners for everything and especially [for] giving me my first chance to be a part of the NFL.
“I want thank everyone in that building from the kitchen staff to my main man Jośe! I loved you guys dearly and always will. I gave u my all every Sunday. To the fans, some happy and some not, I just wanna thank you guys for making my experience in New York something I’ll never forget! To the New Yorkers and real Giants fans… you guys will always have a place in my heart. A beautiful city and a beautiful place. Thank You for every last moment and experience. Without them, I wouldn’t be exactly who I am today! Love!”
The fans in the below video were probably not the “real” fans he was referring to.
Why anyone would burn their Beckham jersey over a trade in which he had no control is anyone’s guess, but jersey burning has become a rather bizarre trend in recent years.
A small minority seem to believe jersey burning sends some sort of message to the player, but when they’re traded away against their will, it makes far less sense. Plus, who really has $80-$100 to just torch for no good reason?
Don’t be these guys.
