The NFL yesterday suspended Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. one game for his antics in Sunday's contest against the Panthers, and he "could see his business opportunities dwindle if on-filed outbursts become a habit," according to a source cited by Thomas Barrabi of FOXBUSINESS.com. Beckham drew "three separate personal foul penalties for unnecessary roughness on Sunday while sparring" with Panthers CB Josh Norman. One of the penalties was "administered when Beckham targeted Norman for a dangerous helmet-to-helmet hit that occurred after a play had ended." Baker Street Advertising Senior VP & Exec Creative Dir Bob Dorfman said that since Beckham has "rarely lost his temper in public in the past," it is "unlikely that his actions on Sunday will be enough to cost him an existing sponsorship deal." However, Dorfman indicated that repeated anger issues "will cause companies to think twice before tapping Beckham as a brand ambassador." Barrabi noted Beckham is "considered one of the NFL’s most charismatic young stars," with a sponsor portfolio that includes Nike, Head & Shoulders, Dunkin' Donuts, Lenovo, Danimals and Roar Beverages. He also is the "reigning cover athlete" for EA's "Madden" video game franchise (FOXBUSINESS.com, 12/21). In N.Y., Bill Pennington writes Beckham's outburst Sunday cast a "stain on his shimmering image." This is the "fourth time Beckham has been suspended or fined in his short career for violent acts or temper tantrums" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/22).
CHECK YOUR HEAD: ESPN’s Mike Golic said Beckham’s helmet-to-helmet hit on Norman is the "epitome of what the NFL, and quite honestly all of football, is trying to get rid of." Golic: "If there wasn't going to be a suspension for this, we might as well throw out any work or progress that we’ve made in this area” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 12/22). USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell writes it is "sad that any player, especially one who has generated such buzz during his brief NFL career for his immense skill, would lower himself to the point of intentionally targeting an opponent's head -- especially in this day and age with heightened awareness about the consequences of head injuries, revamped safety rules and more scrutiny than ever of the NFL universe" (USATODAY.com, 12/22). In L.A., Sam Farmer writes Beckham "got off easy" with just a one-game suspension. It was an "embarrassing display for a league trying to repair its image in terms of player safety." Sunday's "spectacle will take some time to live down" for Beckham (L.A. TIMES, 12/22). In N.Y., Steve Serby asks, "What kind of example do you set by behaving like one flew over the cuckoo's nest?" There is "no excuse for running like a rabid dog at Norman and launching a helmet-to-helmet assault on him" (N.Y. POST, 12/22). Also in N.Y., Gary Myers writes Beckham is "now a full card-carrying member of the Wideout Diva Club after his antics Sunday when he turned the game into a fistfight." If he is "not careful, he will suffer the same fate as the ultimate diva wideouts of this generation: Terrell Owens, Randy Moss and Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson: Big numbers, very entertaining, no Super Bowl championship rings" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/22). FS1's Petros Papadakis said, "I didn't know that he was this much of a baby. It blew me away to see him lose his mind and become unhinged like that ... in front of the whole country” (“Fox Sports Live: Countdown,” FS1, 12/22). However, ESPN N.Y.'s Ian O'Connor wrote while Beckham "deserves to be punished, he doesn't deserve to be demonized" (ESPNNY.com, 12/21).
SHOULD LEAGUE HAVE DONE MORE? In N.Y., William Rhoden writes the NFL "did as expected" in suspending Beckham, but the "only question was what took the league so long to act." After watching the league "bumble through scandal after scandal, we should know by now that protecting the NFL shield comes first." Rhoden: "If you’re doing the right thing, Beckham should have been suspended for the rest of the season. But that would have doomed the big-market Giants, one of the pillars of the NFL, to no postseason hope. Not a good look for the shield" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/22). But FS1's Mike Garafolo said it likely was "not very easy" for the league to suspend Beckham, because it is "not like it’s Ndamukong Suh, where he had multiple incidents on the field." Garafolo: "You don't usually see this kind of stuff from Odell Beckham. ... While this was definitely something that warranted a suspension in that he took a running start, takes a shot at Josh Norman's head, he really didn't have this reputation" ("Fox Sports Live," FS1, 12/21).
