Ravens: Marlon Humphrey definitely didn't choke Odell Beckham, posts close up video that looks maybe he did
In an incident the NFL would probably prefer go away in which Odell Beckham and Marlon Humphrey get involved in a scuffle that doesn't make either look good, the Baltimore Ravens team site has come out and declared that "Humphrey definitely did not choke Beckham". The writer went further saying that Humphrey did exactly what he was supposed to do in the situation.
They posted a video with an up close look at it, which at the very least discredits the use of the word 'definitely'. Undoubtedly, there will people who look at it and see choking and others that will see restraining Beckham (by the neck and throat), but the gall to come and say that Humphrey definitely didn't choke him is noteworthy, even if it's from the most partisan source.
The fact the Ravens are putting more focus on this incident might force the NFL to come back and re-evaluate the situation after initially declaring that neither player's conduct was enough warrant any further action. Nothing spurs the NFL to act quite like video and the Ravens are asking people to watch this over and over and over again in an attempt to convince them their player was innocent. And one would think the Ravens, maybe more than any other team, would understand the power of video.
Make sure to watch the three seconds of slo-mo when Humphrey removes his right hand and his left hand is clearly visible, open and up around Beckham's throat at the 57 second mark. Perhaps the writer can analyze just how much grip strength Humphrey is applying to Beckham's throat area to know what constitutes choking as opposed to restraint, but even the best case scenario looks dubious.
No one should be making the case that Beckham is somehow innocent in all of this, but this video makes Humphrey look the worse of the two, even if it's retaliatory for an action Beckham took earlier.
The NFL would really prefer that everyone dismissed it as a scuffle in the heat of a tense game between a pair of division rivals, moving onto the anticipation of week five, so it will be interesting if they have to come out and respond to a video being posted by a team that puts player conduct on the field in a negative light, especially when the players are as good as Beckham and Humphrey. But if the NFL does come back levies a significant fine on Humphrey, maybe the team site can foot the bill.
