Beckham remains intent on wearing the watch despite not having any official affiliation with Richard MilleGETTY IMAGES
Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. "plans to keep wearing" the Richard Mille watch that he wore during Sunday's game against the Titans throughout the season, "despite the NFL warning the club it violates the rule for wearing a hard object during a game," according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. Beckham believes the NFL is "singling him out" for wearing the watch "just because of who he is." He said, "If anybody else would've worn the watch, or if it was a $20 watch, it wouldn't have been no problem." Richard Mille Dir of Marketing Communications Laura Hughes said that Beckham is "not a brand ambassador for Richard Mille and not required by the company to wear the watch at certain times." A source said that the NFL would "address the watch with the team and Beckham, and has already spoken to the Browns." He is "not expected to be fined" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 9/11). Hughes added that 500 versions of Beckham's watch "were made" (ESPN.com, 9/10). Asked about a potential fine, Beckham said, "For what? You've got to look into the rule book. It says you can't wear any hard objects. The watch is plastic" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 9/11).
BRAND PLAY? ESPN's Domonique Foxworth said, "I understand that they're filing this under the 'hard objects rule' and saying that it's a safety concern, but it's really about how much other brands pay, like Nike and Adidas, in order to get their apparel on the field. They don't want to take away from that with a guy like Odell Beckham wearing this watch" ("Get Up," ESPN, 9/11). CBSSN's Gregg Giannotti said, "There is no doubt that this is a partnership with this company. ... It's a genius marketing move" ("Boomer & Gio," CBSSN, 9/11). FS1's Cris Carter: "You're on a team that's in a business that has a uniform code. You can't wear watches and there is a reason why. It's for overall safety and it's for the overall branding of the company." Carter: "The one thing that's different about the NFL, the reason why the brand sells the way it does and the reason why the sport is the most popular … is the uniformity between the players and the teams" ("First Things First," FS1, 9/11). NBCSN's Mike Florio noted Beckham is "not a brand ambassador" for Richard Mille, and he is "not a good businessman" because of it. Florio: "Antonio Brown would be getting paid to wear that watch if he was wearing the watch, and he wouldn't have paid for that watch if he was wearing that watch" ("PFT," NBCSN, 9/11).
