Odell Beckham: ‘I’m not having fun anymore’ playing football
Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. says he’s "not having fun anymore’" playing football, ESPN reports.
Beckham told ESPN’s Anita Marks after Monday night’s loss to the Vikings that he’s frustrated with the media’s focus on his on-field behavior and his role in the Giants’ offense at the moment.
“Football is my sanctuary," Beckham told Marks. "It's where I go to escape. It's where I'm most happy. I'm not having fun anymore.”
Beckham drew a flag for taunting as he went head to head in a heated matchup with Minnesota’s Xavier Rhodes on Monday. In Week 3 against the Redskins, cameras captured him appearing to cry on the sidelines, as well as striking a kicking net out of frustration. Beckham has yet to score a touchdown this season in four games under new head coach Ben McAdoo, who was the team’s offensive coordinator last season.
He added that he feels the circus surrounding his matchup with Redskins cornerback Josh Norman—stemming largely from a contentious game last season where the two butted heads while Norman was on the Panthers—“tarnished” his image.
Beckham caught three passes for a career-low 23 yards on Monday night. McAdoo said he did not feel Beckham’s in-game actions were a distraction.
“What I'm communicating, we're not doing,” Beckham told ESPN. “I'm not getting the opportunities to contribute, and that's frustrating to me.”
