Green GQ: Odell Beckham Jr., Unguarded
“Are you worried about the OBJ brand shrinking by playing in a smaller market like Cleveland?
I forever will have love for the New York fans. They gave me my first home. But there's this sense of entitlement—like I was made there. And in my head, that was the first place I had the opportunity to show the world what God had set out for me to do. It didn't matter where I was at. Now, did it help that it was Sunday Night Football for the New York Giants versus the Dallas Cowboys? One thousand percent. But The Catch happened around the entire world. I feel like it wouldn't matter where I was at—once you got hooked onto who I was and what I was doing. And who knows? If I was in another place, you don't know if the numbers would've been more or less.”
Did you like the added pressure that comes from playing for a New York team?
I loved it. Not for attention purposes. I just loved New Yorkers. They're such a unique group of people. Good or bad. It's both sides. But God made me. You know what I mean? God made me. That's just where he gave me my first opportunity to show where I was at. It was like lightning struck for me. I remember looking on Instagram after the game [with The Catch] and my followers went up, like, 100K. I was like, This is crazy. And then the next week, going into practice, 200K. It was going at a rate that I was like: If you were to ask me five years ago if I would've had 13 million followers on Instagram, I would've told you, “Nah—no way I would have 13 million followers.”
Do you think there's any validity to the criticism that you're not a good teammate?
You can literally ask any one of my teammates. My on-the-field football never gets talked about unless people are talking about antics. They don't talk about numbers. Where's the reel at? People only want to focus on one thing. I feel like I'm one of the only people in the NFL where my personal life and my brand are the only things that get talked about. They'll do a whole segment about the car that I have on ESPN. Why? I've never been arrested. Never have and never will be putting my hands on a woman. I've never done any crimes. I've never done anything but some little petty, dumb stuff that we keep harping on. They asked, how could I have changed if I didn't go to OTAs? I have to be the very best me to help my team. We don't get paid to be at OTAs. If you want players to be there, make it mandatory and pay them. I got traded to a new team, I already paid to live here in L.A. for the entire summer. Are the Giants or Cleveland going to reimburse me for what I've already paid? Are they going to reimburse my trainers, who I've already paid? Are they going to reimburse me for the dogs who I've had to put in kennels? There's a lot of expenses. Are they going to pay for the rehab I was doing? No. They don't do all of that. That stuff is all on our own. So when it gets time for us to have our own life outside of football, they say something. When the game is done with you, they chew you up, spit you out. You're done. You're done. I have to take care of myself and my family. Period. I talk to everybody in the locker room. When someone gives me free stuff, I ask them to send a hundred of them for my teammates. A hundred Sprayground bags… They put them in the locker room. I asked for them to send me Casper mattresses. They sent me 100 Casper mattresses for the staff and the team.
It seemed like the general consensus among New Yorkers was that the Giants didn't get enough for you in that trade.
I didn't care what they got for the trade.
Where were you when you got the news?
I was in Paris heading to dinner. I saw the calls and was like, “Wow, I wonder where I'm going.” They had been talking about trading me. They could never get past my past. There's always that past that whatever happened, I would never be able to outgrow it. That's why I don't try to bring none of this to Cleveland. I don't even care. When I get there, this is a fresh start for me.
But how'd you feel in that exact moment?
My initial reaction was not disappointment.… I felt disrespected. Like, after everything I've done for them. This is me being honest: This team has not been good for the last six years. Period. Even the year we went to the playoffs and everyone was talking about this and that. And we went there, and I didn't have a great playoff game. Don't get me wrong, I had a terrible game. But I left the game with seven targets, and I'm supposed to be your number one receiver. I left the game with seven targets. We lost. They scored 40 points. It's just all bad. I felt disrespected, because I felt like I was a main reason at keeping that brand alive. They were getting prime-time games, still, as a 5-and-11 team. Why? Because people want to see the show. You want to see me play. That's just real rap. I'm not sitting here like, “It's because of me.” But let's just be real. That's why we're still getting prime-time games. I felt disrespected they weren't even man enough to even sit me down to my face and tell me what's going on.
Who, specifically, is “they”? The G.M.?
The G.M. And I'll forever have respect for [Giants president and CEO] Mr. Mara. Everything he's ever done for me, he's shown nothing but love. Even when we were having our talks, it was coming from a place of love. I could always feel it. So I'll forever have respect for him. But then to be called like that and then be texted by your coach and be like, “Oh, yeah, I heard the news.” Yeah, you heard the news? It happened because of you. The reason I'm gone is because of you. It was just tough because of the way I initially felt. On the other side of it, I was excited about a new start because I had been—honestly, I had been praying to God the season before this season for a change.
You felt like you just couldn't play there anymore.
I can't do this anymore. I just can't do it. I wasn't happy. I wasn't in a good place. And like I told you earlier, I feel like everything is about happiness, and I just was not. And even thinking about my car: I had ordered that car in December.”
Link - (
New Window )
But man, if you really want to shake your head, he thinks he's the reason the Giants were still on TV:
He's bitching about the lack of touches in a playoff game where he dropped two first quarter TD's?? And that he "kept the brand alive".
I wanted OBJ to stay here, but it is clear it was the best move to ship his ass out - especially to Cleveland.
is why the Giants traded him and turned the wheel over to Saquon and a new QB either this year or next year. It wasn't going to end well with Odell. I give him 1 year before he tries to force his way to LA from Cleveland. Getting a young starter, a 1 and a 3 for Odell was about as good as the Giants could have done.
Reread his quote...he wanted out during the season. Disregard.
Were people really supposed to approach Odell before making a move so he could blast it out to Twitter? afterall, he seemingly keeps up with how many followers he has.
NPD - ( New Window )
He really is delusional.
Giants read the situation correctly that he was going to be a problem for Saquon and a new QB. We should thank Antonio Brown for pulling the shit he did, he helped the Giants maximize the return on Odell.
It comes off as a bit bitter but I don't think he's really wrong in most of what he said. It doesn't matter what he does he'll get criticized anyway.
It comes off as a bit bitter but I don't think he's really wrong in most of what he said. It doesn't matter what he does he'll get criticized anyway.
No he's not. The Giants are on prime time games with or without Odell. Always have been. Especially with Saquon.
When you almost always have a game against Dallas and Washington in Prime Time, then get one against the Saints, Viking or Packers (as much due to the reputation of the other teams), it isn't just because of Odell. The Jets have gotten several Prime Time games too.
A lot of it is market-size based.
It comes off as a bit bitter but I don't think he's really wrong in most of what he said. It doesn't matter what he does he'll get criticized anyway.
He was the "brand", no question. And going into 2018, he was no longer "brand". He was part of the co-brand with Saquon. Saquon took over as the new face of the team and the best player on the team by the end of the year. I'm just shocked he didn't shit on Eli. But we saw how he felt about Shurmur and Gettleman.
As for the narrative about him being a good teammate: It's possible to be well liked in the locker room, but still be a bad influence. The fact that he was able to convince his fellow receivers to join him on a boat in Miami right before a playoff game shows me this is probably the case with him.
So glad he's gone.
Brilliantly talented player. But simply fact is he views himself and his “brand” as bigger than the team. Grousing about only getting 7 targets in his one playoff game is exhibit A
Cleveland starts losing....see how many prime time games they get
Drafting Saquon at #2 signaled that the Giants were going to change the way their team was built. They were going to focus more on a running game and feature him. The changes to the offensive line, to bring in maulers rather than the "finesse" guys that Reese brought in was another signal.
Odell was not going to be the focus of the offense anymore. He was second banana to Saquon. I honestly hoped they would find a way to make it work in 2019 with both of them and trade Odell before 2020. But I think as it became clear that they were going to go for a QB in the first round this year, they made the decision that the combination of Saquon and a new franchise QB coming in, it was time to send Odell and his drama packing.
We all know he wants to go to LA. The Rams tried to get him for 20 cents on the dollar 2 years ago. I'm sure it was probably a combination of the Rams people and Odell's people making that happen. As he saw fewer passes in 2019, Odell would have done another ESPN interview and started shit again.
The more he talks, the smarter Gettleman looks.
everything else- is at least interesting honest perspective.
Unfortunetly true. As a Giant fan I got tired of defending him. People would tell me how talented he was and the conversation always ended with a BUT he's going to be a disaster at some point. Npw he won't be a Giant's disaster other than the fact he cost them a lot of money this year.
But, this was hard to read. I know it's the common vernacular of most superstar athletes of today, but the first hing I thought after reading the first couple paragraphs was, "this guy has a huge Messiah complex".
Great players put the team on their back win or lose. He throws everyone under the bus. He will go on to have a HOF career and put up great numbers. He is a great talent but not a great player in that he doesn't seem to be interested in winning and losing, he's just about the numbers. His greatest catch came in a game we lost. If Tyree had the helmet catch and we lost the Superbowl would it be that great?
At least now that he's here, you can actually laugh about it.
Odell wants to talk about the playoff game? That's some ironic shit.
That's ridiculous. The 2014 schedule was released two weeks before Beckham was even drafted.
It was Giants/Cowboys on a Sunday night before Thanksgiving. That's a no-brainer for NBC.
At least now that he's here, you can actually laugh about it.
Odell wants to talk about the playoff game? That's some ironic shit.
Now that he's NOT here obviously
...ever since the trade (and maybe before).
Why can't he just accept that Giants management and fans wish him well, and also wish he would just close his boca and play the game!
And you don’t like the GM? Great, he didn’t like you either. Neither did Schurmur or the QB or many of your teammates. Good riddance. Shame on the Giants if they ever think of putting him in the ROH. Everything wrong with being a Giant. No Class, all ass.
He sure talks a lot about The Catch. And strangely enough on,y cared about how many Instagram followers he gained from in it.
Tells you a ton about what he’s thinking when he refers to the catch. And Instagram followers gained. After one of the greatest catches ever made, on National TV. When asked about it, he said he never thought he would have x number of Instagram followers, not about playing in the NFL. MNF nationally televised game. Giants/Cowboys. Nope, insta followers...
FYI, Giants lost that game, betcha he doesn’t remember that...
Never, ever thought of it that way. Incredibly accurate thought though.
When you almost always have a game against Dallas and Washington in Prime Time, then get one against the Saints, Viking or Packers (as much due to the reputation of the other teams), it isn't just because of Odell. The Jets have gotten several Prime Time games too.
A lot of it is market-size based.
we only have 3 prime time games this year and one in mandated (Thurs night)
That's BS. Even one of the most boring teams in NFL history, the Dan Reeves/Dave Brown led Giants - whose best player was a fullback - were on prime time.
It's New York. We're the #1 media market.
LOL.
They will always have at least 1 vs either Dallas or Philly, or the most noteworthy non division opponent on their schedule GB, Pitt, etc.
Most years they will probably not have less than 2.
When they are good they are guaranteed to have 3+.
Beckham can go f himself.
so he answered about his brand.
I think there has been a tilt in the sports mindset towards "the highlight" rather than the team accomplishment. As an old fart, it's one of the things that bothers me about sports in general now. In football, we started to see it with the excessive celebration dances after a 1st down, sack, etc.
It's one of the reasons why I like Saquon so much. He's old school. He scores and he hands the ball to the official.
I don't doubt that Odell will have some tremendous games and highlights in Cleveland. But will that team seriously contend in the playoffs? It will be interesting to watch.
Brilliantly talented player. But simply fact is he views himself and his “brand” as bigger than the team. Grousing about only getting 7 targets in his one playoff game is exhibit A
Spot on! He is and always will be a "me" guy, it's all about him, especially all that stupid sideline shit! It wasn't that he just wanted to win so bad, he just wanted everybody to pay attention to him, not the team on the field!