New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham appealed his one-game suspension, but the NFL stood by its original decision.
Beckham, who was suspended on Monday for multiple after-the-whistle altercations against the Carolina Panthers, had his suspension upheld on Wednesday afternoon according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Beckham, one of the NFL’s best receivers, will not play on Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings.
Beckham and Panthers cornerback Josh Norman scuffled throughout the game, but Beckham’s actions went over the top when he delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit to Norman’s head when he wasn’t looking. On Monday, the NFL announced he had been suspended for a game. Norman was fined a little more than $26,000.
Beckham tweeted out a statement on Wednesday right after news broke that his suspension was upheld. He apologized, though he did not specifically mention Norman.
"I appealed my suspension because it is a right granted to all players under the NFL's CBA and because I owe it to my teammates to do everything I can to be on the field this week," Beckham said. "Regardless of the outcome of my appeal, I apologize for my actions on Sunday. I work hard to be great and accepting the Blessing of having the physical skills to play at this level brings the responsibility to conduct myself in a certain way on and off the field. Sportsmanship and respecting the game are as important as blocking, running routes and catching the football. I dropped the ball on sportsmanship on Sunday.
"I apologize to my teammates, the Giants organization and to all fans of the NFL."
Between Monday and Wednesday, both teams lined up to tell their side. The Giants said Beckham was provoked, and there were even reports of anti-gay slurs being said to Beckham. The Panthers have denied that, and Panthers practice-squad player Marcus Ball inferred that an accusation that he threatened Beckham while holding a baseball bat before the game was untrue.
The NFL has overturned suspensions before. Last season, after Ndamukong Suh was suspended for stepping on Aaron Rodgers, Suh’s suspension was overturned and he was fined $70,000 instead. He played for the Detroit Lions in that week’s playoff game at the Dallas Cowboys. But Beckham's actions — not just the helmet-to-helmet hit but all that led up to it — were too much for the NFL to rescind the suspension.
Beckham will miss a key Sunday night game against Minnesota. By the time he returns, the Giants might be eliminated from the playoff race. At least when Beckham returns for the Giants, he should be on his best behavior.
Beckham released a longer statement and apology through the Giants on Wednesday:
"I owe some people an apology. I wasn’t raised to act like I did the other day. I am not here to make excuses for my conduct. This isn’t about anything that was said or done to me. This is about my behavior, and I am responsible for my behavior. People expect better from me, and I expect better from myself.
"First of all, I apologize to the organization I represent, the Giants, and our ownership, John Mara and his family and Steve Tisch and his family. And Jerry Reese, who drafted me and gave me the opportunity to be a part of this organization.
"I want to apologize to Giants fans. They want to be proud of us, and proud of players like me who represent their team. What happened the other day was embarrassing to them and embarrassing to me.
"A lot of kids look up to me as a role model. That is a responsibility I accept and take seriously. Many of the parents of those kids have asked since Sunday what they should say to their children about my conduct. I don’t have the perfect answer, but I think one thing they can say is how I handled myself the other day is an example of how not to conduct yourself. I displayed poor sportsmanship. And those parents can also say that when you act like that, there are consequences. And I hope to be an example of somebody who did something wrong and learned from it.
"I owe Coach Coughlin, our coaches and my teammates an apology. They have had to answer for my actions, and that’s not fair to them. How I conduct myself is my responsibility. I let my coaches and teammates down.
"I am blessed and privileged to play the game I love, and I will do all I can to carry myself in a way that honors the game, the NFL, my team, my coaches, all my fans and my family moving forward."
"First of all, I apologize to the organization I represent, the Giants, and our ownership, John Mara and his family and Steve Tisch and his family. And Jerry Reese, who drafted me and gave me the opportunity to be a part of this organization.
"I want to apologize to Giants fans. They want to be proud of us, and proud of players like me who represent their team. What happened the other day was embarrassing to them and embarrassing to me.
"A lot of kids look up to me as a role model. That is a responsibility I accept and take seriously. Many of the parents of those kids have asked since Sunday what they should say to their children about my conduct. I don’t have the perfect answer, but I think one thing they can say is how I handled myself the other day is an example of how not to conduct yourself. I displayed poor sportsmanship. And those parents can also say that when you act like that, there are consequences. And I hope to be an example of somebody who did something wrong and learned from it.
"I owe Coach Coughlin, our coaches and my teammates an apology. They have had to answer for my actions, and that’s not fair to them. How I conduct myself is my responsibility. I let my coaches and teammates down.
"I am blessed and privileged to play the game I love, and I will do all I can to carry myself in a way that honors the game, the NFL, my team, my coaches, all my fans and my family moving forward."
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