Odell Beckham Jr who started his journey with the New York Giants, shone brightly in the percussion. But, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2019, which according to OBJ, carried an intention for him ‘to die’. After years of silence, the Ravens wideout has finally set the stage ablaze with his harsh revelation about John Mara’s Giants.
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In a recent appearance on the Punch Line Podcast, OBJ expressed his frustration over the circumstances leading to his departure from his drafting team. Beckham Jr rose to fame during his partnership with Eli Manning in the Giants and still feels that the trade was not in his best interest. He claimed that the Giants deliberately chose a struggling franchise like the Browns with the probability of diminishing his career,
“There’s semi a bit of me that feels like the Giants sent me off, I’ve said it before, sent me off to Cleveland to die. You can’t tell me that this was the best trade package that we could have got for you. Your desire was to f*ck me over a little bit, its how I feel.”
The reports of his fights with CB Josh Norman and out-of-the-box interviews promoted his image as a disruptive figure. The unfavorable image led to a strained relationship with GM Dave Gettleman and HC Pat Shurmur. Explaining into the narrative, OBJ furthered his true intentions, which were clearly misinterpreted by the franchise.
“[Giants] felt like I made a fool of you or the organization and that was truly never my intention. I’m just that competitive. I just wanted to win.”
His journey in the Cleveland Browns wasn’t any easier as his debut with the Cleveland Browns yielded a 6-10 record. The second year had a better start with a 4-2 record but the star wideout suffered an ACL tear.
He made it to the Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams but ended up with a knee injury. However, his mental turmoil stands out for being traded off due to wrong reasons to an unfitting destination.
Odell Beckham Jr Delves Deeper into Problematic Child Narrative
The Browns’ last quarterback spring with Baker Mayfield was briefly stained by a video from Beckham Senior. OBJ on the podcast addressed the clip that captured Mayfield withholding the ball from him. He mentioned that it was part of a forwarded video and that his father could not be its originator. He jokingly broke down the whole scene, remarking,
“This was something that was sent to him or found, a 14-minute video. My pops, would never. But like, in hindsight, the world we live in, you could always find something on the other end that could support whatever narrative one tries to support, like you could always find evidence for it.”
In spite of the torn ACL, Mayfield’s video, and his consideration of the franchise as ‘troubled,’ Odell Beckham Jr. was convinced about staying in Cleveland. His complaint of not making it to a forceful franchise changed into hopes with the Browns’ playoff berth in 2021. However, the Super Bowl LVI champion entered the Baltimore Ravens, leading him to be a shining star once again.
