Fansided

Frustrated Odell Beckham Jr. claims football is no longer fun

By Nick Tylwalk

Oct 3, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) argues a call during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) argues a call during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Handling adversity doesn’t appear to be a strong suit for Odell Beckham Jr.

There’s no debating that Odell Beckham Jr. is a superior athlete, one with amazing talents. There’s a reason we’ve seen his one-handed catches replayed over and over again.

He also appears to be a bit of a front runner. When he’s racking up the stats and the New York Giants are winning, everything is great in OBJ land. But when things get tough, like they have been in 2016 — Beckham hasn’t found the end zone yet in four games and the Giants are in last place in the NFC East — he’s much more likely to make the news for the wrong reasons.

Whether that is Beckham’s fault or not is a can of worms too huge to dive into in the course of one short article. His comments following the Giants’ Monday Night Football loss to the Minnesota Vikings hinted that he thinks he’s being unfairly scrutinized by the referees and NFL.

However, even the most fervent OBJ backers would have to admit that he attracts some of that attention to himself. If there’s any defensive back in the league who doesn’t know he has a chance to get under the receiver’s skin and draw a penalty or two, they simply haven’t been paying attention.

And so we’ve arrived at the latest Beckham mood change, as he’s told ESPN that he simply isn’t enjoying his job right now:

"“Football is my sanctuary. It’s where I go to escape. It’s where I’m most happy. I’m not having fun anymore.”"

No one is suggesting that Beckham can’t right his personal ship, or that he’s going to be stuck in this mind set all season long. He’s too good to be denied for too long.

Related Story: See a happier OBJ pull off a classic video bomb

It’s also easy to understand why he’s not having fun. No one likes the bumps in the road. But if he wants to escape the rut he’s in right now, he’s going to have to stop taking the bait, whether it’s thrown in the water by the media or opposing players.

Otherwise, these kinds of interviews are going to continue. And that’s not much fun for anyone, except maybe fans of the other three NFC East teams.

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