Odell Beckham Jr clashes downplayed by Giants great Osi Umenyiora
Monday 21 December 2015 19:01, UK
Osi Umenyiora says referees were right not to eject New York Giants' Odell Beckham Jr from the game in their 38-35 loss to the Carolina Panthers after a series of clashes with Josh Norman.
Panthers cornerback Norman has called on the NFL to hammer Beckham Jr, who drew three personal fouls in a number of confrontations between the pair, with the worst coming in the third quarter when the Giants star was penalised for a dangerous flying hit to Norman's head.
However, British-born Umenyiora, who won two Super Bowls with the Giants, said the officials made the right call, claiming incidents such as those seen at the MetLife Stadium occur in every NFL match.
"I thought it was interesting. It was a really good match-up, two of the better young players we have in the NFL right now going toe to toe. It was amazing," Umenyiora said. "But to be completely honest with you, as a player myself, this is a highly emotional game, a highly physical game and that happens all the time, believe it or not.
"I think what happened was because the camera was so focused in on the match-up and everyone was watching these two particular players, it kind of got blown out of proportion.
"People actually saw the underside of what happens during an NFL game. I've been involved in things like that on numerous occasions. For me, I don't think he should have been thrown out of the game.
"I know for a fact that what he did yesterday is something I've done a thousand times. It's something that has been done to me on numerous occasions. It's something that happens in the NFL week in and week out."
However, Umenyiora did concede that Beckham Jr's flying blindside hit on Norman crossed a line.
"That was a little extreme," he said. "There's no question he might have went a little overboard there but for the most part, the things we saw in that particular game is something that happens all the time.
"He's got some personal fouls and they called those and it hurt the team, no question about that. There's a lot of things he did that maybe he shouldn't have done."
Umenyiora defended Beckham Jr, who was fined for throwing a punch at a Buffalo Bills player in October, saying he has become an easy target for opposition players.
"I think what happens with him is he has a reputation," Umenyiora said. "Some people think he's soft, he's a prima donna, he's a little bit of a diva. He might overreact a little bit to things people do and you have people who are physically taking shots at him.
"People [are] trying to hit him after the whistle and what you didn't see yesterday was Josh Norman started the whole thing. He went after him in the beginning of the game, threw him on the ground and Odell Beckham overreacted a little bit."
Umenyiora does not want to see Beckham Jr banned, saying "people run into each other for a living," in the NFL but expects the 23-year-old to be heavily fined at the very least.
"No doubt about that, he's going to get a fine and he should get fined," he said. "There's a lot of things he did that might have crossed the line a little bit. But should he get suspended? No, but the NFL will bring the hammer down on him. There's no question about that. I expect a very hefty fine.
"Me personally, I don't think he should be suspended because I've done these things before. I can't be the one who says he should be suspended. That would make me a huge hypocrite, which a lot of people and players in the NFL are right now. I can't say he should be suspended because I wasn't."
