Getty Cleveland WR Odell Beckham.
Odell Beckham Jr. is none too pleased that the focus has shifted from his hands to his wrist after the Cleveland Browns first game of the season.
Beckham spoke to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com on Tuesday and confirmed that his cryptic Tweet had to do with the media and NFL’s handling of the issue of him wearing a watch and it violating a league rule.
“I’m here to play football,’’ Beckham said. “I would love for them to talk about football and what I do on the field, if I messed up on the field or if I didn’t do well on the field, talk about my performance. Don’t talk about any extracurricular, that’s just it. If anybody else would’ve worn the watch, or if it was a $20 watch, it wouldn’t have been no problem.”
Beckham tweeted out late Monday night: “If it ain’t one thing…it’s another.”
It had some fans worried about the mercurial pass-catcher, but he confirmed that was indeed about his watch issue.
“Yeah, that’s just my life,’’ OBJ said. “If it ain’t this, it’s something else. If it wasn’t the watch, it would’ve been the way that I tie my shoes.”
Odell Beckham Plans to Keep Wearing Watch
Sadly, this is likely not the last we have heard of “watch-gate.” Beckham said he plans to keep wearing the watch — which is reportedly a RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph McLaren, which was purchased for $189,500, according to the Washington Post.
A closeup photo of the OBJ watch, via Richard Mille
“I’ll still be wearing it,” Beckham told reporters. “The same way I wear it every day, at practice, I go here, I go there. I’ve been wearing it. Take a shower with it on. It’s just on me.
“It shouldn’t be an issue.”
Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens confirmed on Monday that the NFL had called to talk about the watch issue, but Beckham doesn’t believe he’ll be fined.
“For what? You’ve got to look into the rule book. It says you can’t wear any hard objects,” he said. “The watch is plastic. But people have knee braces on that are hard and made out of metal and you don’t see them taping it up. No jewelry on, so I’m good.”
Odell Beckham Responds to Supportive Browns Fan
Beckham wasn’t too happy to see people filing out of FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday afternoon before the final whistle.
Beckham finished with seven grabs for 71 yards on 11 targets in his first game with the Browns on Sunday, but watched his team get walloped by the Titans 43-13.
“For those fans, we don’t want to see them leaving with nine minutes left in the quarter,” Beckham told reporters after the game. “We want to be able to stick there and fight through it. I know there’s been losing around here, but that’s not what we’re here to do. We’ve got to have everybody stick with us, the fans as well, as this team has to come together and we each got to play better.”
One fan apologized on Twitter to OBJ, which drew a response from the Browns star.
“All good my guy! We just wanna make y’all proud. And win games,” Beckham wrote. “I’m just here to play football to the best of my ability. Im not worried bout the stupid ish… let’s talk football not something that don’t matter. It didn’t affect the game either way.”
All good my guy! We just wanna make y’all proud. And win games. Im just here to play football to the best of my ability. Im not worried bout the stupid ish… let’s talk football not something that don’t matter. It didn’t affect the game either way.. MNFLFG
The Browns will have a chance to turn things around on the road for a Monday Night Football matchup against the New York Jets.
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