CLEVELAND — Following a trade from the New York Giants to the Cleveland Browns, Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. showed up on day one of the offseason program, but how much work did he do with his new teammates?
Well, Beckham Jr. missed much of the organized team activities practices, and in an interview with GQ Magazine for their August edition, the talented pass-catcher explained his absence for much of the offseason program.
“They asked, ‘how could I have changed if I didn’t go to OTAs?’” Beckham Jr. said. “I have to be the very best me to help my team. We don’t get paid to be at OTAs. If you want players to be there, make it mandatory and pay them. I got traded to a new team, I already paid to live here in L.A. for the entire summer.
“Are the Giants or Cleveland going to reimburse me for what I’ve already paid? Are they going to reimburse my trainers, who I’ve already paid? Are they going to reimburse me for the dogs who I’ve had to put in kennels? There’s a lot of expenses. Are they going to pay for the rehab I was doing? No. They don’t do all of that. That stuff is all on our own, so when it gets time for us to have our own life outside of football, they say something.”
Beckham Jr. expressed frustration with the media for their portrayal of him as a bad teammate instead of talking to those who shared the field with him in his five years with the Giants.
“People only want to focus on one thing,” Beckham Jr. said. “I feel like I’m one of the only people in the NFL where my personal life and my brand are the only things that get talked about. They’ll do a whole segment about the car that I have on ESPN.
“Why? I’ve never been arrested. Never have and never will be putting my hands on a woman. I’ve never done any crimes.”
At the start of the offseason program, Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said Beckham Jr. brings “enthusiasm, passion, loves to play the game’ and ‘loves being around his teammates.” And while Kitchens views that as a positive, Beckham Jr. feels as though he is held to a different standard.
“Race plays into everything, whether we want to believe it or not,” Beckham Jr. said. “I remember posting a video of me and Tom Brady, and I hate to even bring him in this, but he’s passionate. He cares. He wouldn’t still be playing if he didn’t care for the game the way that he did today. He throws a cup. He yells at referees. He yells at his coach. It’s because he cares that bad. He wants to win that bad.
“I want to win the same way he wants to win.”
Beckham Jr. said while some question his motives for playing football or whether his passion sometimes gets the better of him, he is focused on doing whatever is necessary for his team to have more points than their opponents at the end of the games.
“I care about winning more than anything,” Beckham Jr. said. “I didn’t get into this to celebrate and score touchdowns. I didn’t get into this for followers for Instagram. It’s like, ‘you’ve built a monster, but now, you’re upset at the one you built. Why are you mad at me?’
“I’m playing football. I’m not holding a camera on myself. Everything is about what you show the world. I get my free time 16 times a year, hopefully, plus a few games when we make the playoffs. I get 16 times to do this. There are 365 days in a year. You’re controlling my freedom. This is my joy. This is my time.”