Getty Images Odell Beckham Jr. of the Los Angeles Rams.
Odell Beckham Jr. is a Super Bowl champion and not everyone is happy about that, particularly fans of the Cleveland Browns who saw the polarizing pass-catcher force his way out after the trade deadline passed.
Beckham got some hate following the Rams Super Bowl win, which his former Browns teammate Mack Wilson felt was misplaced.
“For some people to be saying OBJ doesn’t deserve it y’all are insane,” the Browns linebacker wrote. “But also I understand it’s the people on the outside looking in that doesn’t know what type of teammate he is, what he meant to us as a team, & also what type of guy he was off the field. So please shut up!”
For some people to be saying OBJ doesn’t deserve it y’all are insane. But also I understand it’s the people on the outside looking in that doesn’t know what type of teammate he is, what he meant to us as a team, & also what type of guy he was off the field. So please shut up!
Browns rookie cornerback Greg Newsome retweeted Wilson and chimed in with his own take.
“They so sick he got him one,” Newsome tweeted.
Beckham Had Ugly Breakup With Browns
What has agitated those loyal to the Browns is that Beckham’s story has been framed as one of redemption. After Beckham caught a touchdown in the Super Bowl, Cris Collinsworth said on the broadcast that, “Odell felt like he was kicked out on the streets.” In reality, that couldn’t be further than the truth.
The relationship between the Browns and Beckham devolved in a hurry after he was not dealt at the trade deadline. The main catalyst in the situation was Odell Beckham Sr. posting a video on the day of the NFL trade deadline showing all the times Browns QB Baker Mayfield missed on throws. The elder Beckham also went into the comment section and further trashed Mayfield, even commenting on his contract situation. Beckham was told to stay home from practice and the sides eventually negotiated his release.
“A lot of things were out of my control,” Beckham said during Super Bowl week of the video. “By the time I woke up, the video was already posted, it just was unfortunate. Sometimes things go that way in life and you’ve got to roll with the punches. I just think about here I am now and just making the most of the opportunity we have.”
Beckham said he still feels like there hasn’t been closure on that situation and wasn’t happy about leaving his teammates behind.
“One of the biggest regrets I have about the way things ended is I didn’t have … it’s like having a breakup but there really was no closure,” he told reporters. “It was just it. One of the things I’ve always been big on in my life is closure, because if you don’t have closure, the doors, if they’re not closed, they are always still open. Having to leave and leave these guys you had lifetime friendships with, they’re your brothers, and it was just so abrupt.”