Odell Beckham Jr. says it doesn’t make sense to have an NFL season
The NFL star says that he doesn't believe that the NFL season should go on and that it's all about money
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. says he doesn’t believe there should be an NFL season this year. He told the Wall Street Journal he thinks it’s only happening because of money.
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“We’re not ready for football season,” he told the Journal.
“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.”
Beckham is a star in the league despite the lack of on-field success his team had last year with Freddie Kitchens as coach and Baker Mayfield as the quarterback. Kitchens has been dispatched for Kevin Stefanski, the former offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings and the team has a new African American GM, Andrew Berry.
The interview was done two weeks ago according to sportswriter Mary Kay Cabot who covers the Browns. This was prior to the NFL Player’s Association agreeing on safety protocols which included daily testing and no preseason games.
Players can opt-out of the 2020-2021 season for both personal and health reasons, and several have, including New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower, star running back Damien Williams of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Marquise Goodwin of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Players have until Thursday to make their decision, reports Fox News.
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Beckham has not opted out nor is he expected to. Berry says he talked to Beckham and that he realizes he needs to be more conscientious with his words according to Cabot.
“We’re really happy with everything that the NFL and the PA (Player’s Association) have agreed upon and everything that we’ve done in Cleveland,” Berry said to the media.
As it relates to Beckham, “He’s really focused on having a great year.”
Numerous NFL players have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus including Browns backup quarterback Garrett Gilbert. The NBA and WNBA have so far largely escaped any COVID setbacks as they’ve been isolated to “bubbles” in Orlando and Bradenton, Florida respectively.
Major league baseball, playing outside a bubble and traveling to various team cities as the NFL is expected to do, has been struggling to complete a truncated season as positive COVID-19 tests keep coming.
The Miami Marlins had 18 players test positive for the virus forcing the cancellation of multiple games and have not played since July 2. Today, the season was upended again when 13 St. Louis Cardinals players tested positive. All of the players have been asymptomatic or have had mild cases, say multiple reports.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson recently tested positives and New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton recovered from the virus earlier this year.
Beckham may have a valid point as the NFL has the largest roster of players of any of the four leagues with 60, not including staff and team personnel. As far as spectators for games, each of the 32 teams have so far taken a different tack.
According to ESPN, The Eagles, Jets, and Giants, for example, play in states (Pennsylvania and New Jersey) that have restricted large outdoor gatherings for the near future. It most likely means no spectators, while others like the Dallas Cowboys have said they will allow spectators with capacity limits.
Texas, though, is one of the states with spiking coronavirus cases at the moment.
Read More: Roger Goodell announces cancellation of NFL preseason games
The challenges of playing this NFL season may be best described by Kelly Stafford, wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford who was quarantined after a coronavirus test came back with a false positive. He has since tested negative. Kelly described their experience on Instagram.
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