Storyline: It matters who you are, who was wronged, and when an incident occurred. It’s not what you did. Case in point: Odell Beckham, Jr. He should have been more harshly sentenced for his brutal hit on Josh Norman.
It’s hard being a defensive player in any sport, but especially in the NFL. It’s tough to play, tough to be noticed, and tough to gain fans’ generosity. Things get more difficult for players when it comes to fans’ understanding and sympathy.
Every sport in America wants to modify the rules so that the offense has as much room as possible to operate. And it’s understandable: fans want points. Basketball added a three-point line and eliminated the hand check; soccer doesn’t allow the same physicality that once accompanied the game; and you can’t touch the offensive player in football.
Courtesy: nypost.com
One reason we dislike defense is that it raises the possibility of injuring a great offensive player. There are many penalties for NFL defensive players, some followed by a fine. The NFL has outlawed “head hunting,” that is, helmet-to-helmet contact.
Defensive players are constantly flagged for upward interaction with offensive players, many times falsely accused. However, when accurately accused, there’s no end to the backlash the defensive player receive–not just from the refs or the League but from media and fans, too. We condemned Richard Sherman for his comments about being the best cornerback in the league. We ripped Ndomakong Suh every chance we get–guilty or not. And we declared Vontez Burfict a dirty player for head hunting.
Courtesy: thebiglead.com
What surprises me, though, is the conversation surrounding the matchup of the Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. and Josh Norman of the Carolina Panthers. Who won that matchup is irrelevant. The astonishing thing was all the chatter about who acted worse.
Some believe–I’m among them–that Beckham Jr. was completely out of control. His on-the-field behavior was unproductive and potentially dangerous. Odell racked up three unsportsmanlike calls for the game, a record for a wide receiver, and constantly took shots at the Panthers’ Josh Norman and Cortland Finnegan–two highly animated defenders.
The most egregious moment of the game came after a dead-ball play when Beckham, Jr. decided to launch himself into the chin of Josh Norman. There’s no doubt his actions were intentional. It should have resulted in the harshest of penalties from the League and strong fan reaction from around the country.
What Odell did deserves a year’s suspension. But the League based its punishment off the reaction, not the action. Beckham, an offensive weapon who scores, wasn’t kicked out of the game. While the NFL and major media show harshness against players when they hurt human beings off-the-field (e.g., Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy, Aaron Hernandez) they don’t take the same approach when it happens on the field, especially if it’s an offensive player.
“Panthers practice squad player was holding a black bat during pre-game motioning it towards Beckham” according to the NFL per sources.
“Giant’s players state that Panthers players were directing homophobic slurs and profanities towards Beckham,” according to the NFL per league sources.
Ray Lewis states that “no man should let their manhood to be challenged” as defense for Beckham in what Lewis paints as retaliation.
And Trent Dilfer went the furthest in his defense in saying that Josh Norman takes plenty of cheap shots throughout the season and so do the Carolina Panthers.
Here’s what I learned: It matters who you are, who was wronged, and when an incident occurred. It’s not what you did. That’s how the referees, Giants’ teammates and coaches, and media handled this. Could you imagine if it were the other way around and Norman, out of frustration, launched at the chin of Beckham?
I, for one, feel Norman did nothing wrong. If comments were made in the form of slurs, oh well, it happens all the time in life, not just in sports. Control yourself. Comments like “he challenged your manhood” are just another exhibit of stupidity. Beckham is supposed to fear a baseball bat? We’re told it’s nothing new for Carolina; the Panthers always have the baseball bat. And what were they going to do Odell? Hit him while he’s running a post route?
As a young man I resent the notion that it’s “just a young mistake.” How old do you have to be to know how to keep your temper and not do the one thing the League has outlawed? And that’s not to mention we just had a movie released to concussions.
What if Josh Norman would have been knocked out, which is highly possible? What would the reaction be then? Certainly it would be different if he had been a quarterback. But I guess a one-game suspension will do because it was against a talkative cornerback on a team that many feel is too cocky. So even though Beckham ignored the question during postgame interviews we now know, through TV analysts, that he knows better and is disappointed–even though he appealed the suspension.
I enjoyed the fight; it was great for entertainment. But no longer do I want to hear of the principles this game holds. Beckham deserved a much harsher penalty.
