In the NFL, one day you could be the golden boy of the league and on the next, you could be considered a distraction to your team. This is exactly what is happening to the New York Giants superstar Odell Beckham Jr. Various news outlets across the country are labeling Beckham as a distraction, an obstacle in the way of the team’s road to victory. This complete 180 of a view started last year against the Carolina Panthers. This game, Beckham went head to head with Josh Norman, and the game turned out to be pretty ugly. There were personal fouls all game and it looked more like a boxing match than a football game. Because of this game, the league introduced a new rule where if a player receives two unsportsmanlike penalties, he will be ejected from the game. Following this game, cornerbacks across the league have been trying to get into Beckham’s head, which is one of the only ways to stop the talented receiver in a game.

Starting this year, teams have had  their cornerbacks play dirty with Beckham, to try to get him heated and throw him off of his game. This started against the New Orleans Saints, where cornerback Sterling Moore argued that Beckham often pulls and pushes on deep balls and commits offensive pass interference. The next game was against the Washington Redskins, who signed Beckham’s nemesis, Josh Norman, this offseason. This was the game where people began to question if Beckham’s behavior was an issue.

“Odell Beckham Jr. has had a rough start to the season. Although his stat totals to this point of the season are very similar to those of last seasons, Beckham seems to not be focused. He was recently quoted as saying he’s not enjoying playing football anymore, which leads to many reasons to criticize him. While there is still time for Beckham to turn is season around, it doesn’t seem likely at this point.” Commented Jared Cohen, a Sophomore.

Beckham was visibly upset on the sidelines, as he was caught on camera swinging his helmet at the kicking net, which became an internet sensation. He got the best of Norman, recording seven catches for 121 yards, but no touchdowns. Even though Beckham had a strong game, his team was setback by careless penalties in retaliation to his feud with Norman and went on to lose the game. The following game against the Minnesota Vikings also displayed how Beckham’s behavior could be a problem. After receiving a late hit by Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes, Beckham turned to him and got in his face. This resulted in a penalty, and Beckham had a poor game because the rough Vikings secondary would limit him to career low numbers. Beckham’s temper and unwillingness to play at his highest level hurt the Giants greatly in this game. After rebounding nicely against the Green Bay Packers, it is questionable if Beckham’s antics will occur further along in the season and if it will wind up hurting the Giants. Because of his temper, Beckham is a target to cornerbacks, and they smell blood in the water.