Odell Beckham Jr. thinks he's being 'picked on' after being forced to leave game for visor issue
Odell Beckham Jr.’s return to New York’s MetLife Stadium Monday was eventful from the get-go.
The Cleveland Browns receiver was spotted wearing a $2 million watch during pregame warmups ahead of a matchup with the New York Jets. He then made a spectacular one-handed sideline grab that brought back memories of the iconic catch he made during his New York Giants days on the game’s opening drive.
Officials force Beckham to leave game
The play set the Browns up in the red zone. But when Cleveland faced third-and-goal, an agitated Beckham left the field after protesting with game officials.
[Watch live NFL games on the Yahoo Sports app, here's how]
It turns out his helmet didn’t meet NFL standards — his visor in particular. He had to leave the field while an equipment manager attached a new visor.
The Browns failed to convert and settled for a field goal on the drive.
Beckham was ‘very vocal’
ESPN’s Lisa Salters reported during the game that the tint on his visor, seen above, didn’t meet regulations. Visors are required to be clear, per the report.
“Odell was very vocal over here on the sideline because he was out the of game while all that was happening,” Salters reported. “His point was other guys have worn it. He thinks he’s being picked on.”
Beckham returned to the game during the next Browns possession, this time wearing a clear visor.
After the game, he clarified that he was upset because he’s seen other players wearing tinted visors without being forced out of games by officials.
“All I want is it to be fair around the league,” Beckham told Salters. “If you’re gonna tell me to do something, do it for everybody else.
“You let people stay in the game on Monday Night Football with gold visors — everybody else has tinted visors — you pull me off and it hurts my team, I hurt my team on third-and-goal. You can warn me, do something, but don’t pull me off on third-and-goal. All I want is it to be fair. I want to play football.”
First the watch, now this
Beckham was upset about the league reportedly cracking down on his wearing watches during gameplay after the six-figure watch he wore against the Tennessee Titans made headlines.
He took his watch off before Monday’s game started, but drew almost immediate attention from officials for his visor.
Images from Week 1 show Beckham apparently wearing the same visor that caused problems Monday against the Titans without issue.
While some may agree that Beckham is being singled out, others might suggest that he should simply follow the league’s equipment guidelines.
More from Yahoo Sports:
