Getty Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. does not believe the NFL is ready for the season to start amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the Cleveland Browns star “wouldn’t mind” if it didn’t happen.
Beckham shared the thoughts in an interview with Lane Florsheim of WSJ. Magazine. Beckham thinks this season is a money grab for the owners, who he feels are disregarding the health of the players on the field.
“Obviously with everything that’s going on, it doesn’t make sense why we’re trying to do this. I can understand basketball was already in the playoffs. Five-on-five basketball in an arena is going to be more intense than regular-season games. Hooping is different than playing an eleven-on-eleven contact sport where there’s 80 people in a locker room. We’re not ready for football season. So why are we trying to push forward? It’s obviously for their money. And that bothers me because there’s always been this—and I hate saying it like that—but the owners’ [attitude is], ‘Oh we own you guys,’ and just kind of that unfairness going on that they don’t see us as human. I just feel like the season shouldn’t happen and I’m prepared for it to not happen and I wouldn’t mind not having it.”
Odell Beckham Has Not Opted Out of Season
This is the first time Beckham has spoken up on the issue and he reported to camp on time with his teammates last week. Shortly after the article went viral, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com provided some more context, saying the interview was done two weeks ago, before he saw the team facilities. Sources told Cabot that OBJ has no plans to opt out.
Odell Beckham’s Jr.’s interview with WSJ was done 2 weeks ago before he saw how safe the #Browns facility was, and he has no plans of opting out, multiple sources tell me
While beckham is in, Browns offensive guard Drew Forbes and tackle Drake Dorbeck were placed on the reserve/opt-out list, thinning out the depth on the offensive line.
Per cleveland.com, players who opt out for approved medical reasons receive a $350,000 stipend for 2020 and their contract tolls until next season. Players who opt out for other coronavirus concerns receive a $150,000 stipend for the season, except for undrafted rookies, which Dorbeck would fall under.
Forbes joined the Browns as a sixth-round pick in 2019 and appeared in one game last season. Dorbeck is an undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi. The team said in a release that any player may opt out of participating in the 2020 NFL season for any reason. The player must provide the club with written notice of his election to opt out. Once given, the notice will be irrevocable for the remainder of the 2020 season.
Odell Beckham Seeking Bounce Back Season
Beckham is coming back from offseason core surgery. He didn’t miss a game last season, but played through multiple injuries during his first season in Cleveland, most notably to his hip and groin. It was also reported at one point that Beckham was playing through a sports hernia. Despite breaking the 1,000-yard barrier last season, he did not live up to the wild expectations set for him. Beckham finished his first season in Cleveland with 1,035 yards and four touchdowns. However, he was basically playing from behind from the get-go due to injuries.
“I would honestly say this is probably going to be one of my best seasons — bigger, stronger, faster,” Beckham said in a video documenting his recovery this offseason. “This my time.”
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