Odell Beckham Jr. is refusing to back down amid the controversy over a pricey watch he wore during last Sunday’s game, and the Cleveland Browns wide receiver spoke extensively about the situation while discussing it with reporters on Tuesday.
A defiant Beckham told the media, as relayed by Mary K. Cabot of Cleveland.com, that he believes he’s being unfairly targeted by the NFL and that it wouldn’t have been an issue had it had been another player wearing the watch.
“I’m here to play football,’’ Beckham said. “I would love for them to talk about football and what I do on the field, if I messed up on the field or if I didn’t do well on the field, talk about my performance. Don’t talk about any extracurricular, that’s just it. If anybody else would’ve worn the watch, or if it was a $20 watch, it wouldn’t have been no problem.’’
The scandal arose after Beckham was spotted wearing the RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph McLaren, believed to have been purchased for $189,500, during the Browns’ blowout loss to the Tennessee Titans.
NFL policy prohibits players from wearing hard objects during games, and Beckham attempted to make a distinction about the rule when asked if he believes the league will fine him.
“For what? You’ve got to look into the rulebook. It says you can’t wear any hard objects,’’ Beckham said. “The watch is plastic. But people have knee braces on that are hard and made out of metal and you don’t see them taping it up, no jewelry on, so I’m good.’’
It is believed that the league reached out to the Browns over the watch issue, but Beckham denied as much when asked, saying, “No. That’s it for today though.’’
Beckham previously appeared to weigh in on “Watchgate” with a cryptic tweet on Monday night.
On Tuesday, Beckham confirmed the tweet was about the watch kerfuffle.
“Yeah, that’s just my life,’’ Beckham said. “If it ain’t this, it’s something else. If it wasn’t the watch, it would’ve been the way that I tie my shoes.’’
He noted, “I’ll still be wearing it.’’
Beckham alleging on Tuesday that he’s a target is not the first time he’s made that accusation, as he made similar comments this past offseason. Either way, it certainly appears Beckham has made his stance. It will be interesting to see how the NFL responds.
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