Odell Beckham Jr. Suspended for One Game
Bill Pennington
N.F.L.|Odell Beckham Jr. Suspended for One Game
The swift ascent of Odell Beckham Jr. in American sports culture has almost been like one of his acrobatic, physics-defying end zone catches — meteoric and captivating. But in the past two days, the incandescent Beckham has, at least, temporarily fallen back to earth with a stain on his shimmering image.
The N.F.L. announced on Monday that it had suspended Beckham, the Giants’ sensational young receiver, for one game after a petulant contest on Sunday in which he repeatedly tangled with Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman. The suspension was for multiple acts as Beckham was whistled for three personal fouls for unnecessary roughness.
But the most glaring incident came in the third quarter, when Beckham, running at full speed, slammed his helmet into the side of Norman’s. In announcing the suspension, the league referred to the vicious collision as a flagrant hit against a defenseless player, “in which Beckham left his feet prior to contact to spring forward and upward into his opponent.”
Beckham is appealing the suspension. Appeals are usually heard and decided within two days. If the suspension holds, Beckham will forfeit $52,529, or one-seventeenth of his 2015 salary of $893,009, and he will not be permitted to be around the team for any practices or functions until Dec. 28. But this is also the fourth time Beckham has been suspended or fined in his short career for violent acts or temper tantrums. In 2014, he was fined $10,000 for kicking Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree in a brawl-filled game in St. Louis.
The same month, he was fined $11,025 for taking off his helmet and throwing it to the turf during a prolonged protest of a late tackle out of bounds. Early this season, Beckham was fined $8,681 for throwing a punch at Buffalo Bills safety Duke Williams.
The N.F.L. said it was still reviewing the conduct of other players in the game for additional discipline, leaving open the possibility that Norman could be fined, although not suspended.
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