/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65525502/1180833244.jpg.0.jpg)
The NFL docked Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Monday for violating the league’s policy on uniforms and equipment.
Beckham was fined $14,037 for wearing uniform pants that did not cover his knees during the October 13 game against the Seattle Seahawks and Beckham took to Instagram to share his displeasure:
OBJ not happy about being fined $14K for wearing pants above the knee in the Seattle game (from his IG story:) pic.twitter.com/8dAL5BzBQz
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) October 22, 2019
This is just the latest run in that Beckham has had with the NFL this season. He received a talking to from the league after wearing a watch against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, was removed from the Week 2 game against the New York Jets for simply wearing a visor that did not have the league-approved sponsor on it, and was fined $14,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct for a scuffle with Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey that the Ravens made sure to let everyone know did not involve Humphrey chocking Beckham.
It was after the Ravens game that Beckham voiced his displeasure with the league’s priorities, according to Jake Trotter at ESPN:
“I think it’s crazy. ... The NFL finds ways to just take it. They’re going to take it from you. I understand a penalty, getting fined for that. But pants above the knees, a shirt hanging out -- and we’re talking about a T-shirt that cost $5 to make, and you’re getting $5,000 taken from you. Pads above your knees, and I’m like, ‘You really think that this little knee pad covering my kneecap is going to affect, if somebody hits me, weighs 250 pounds, running 18 mph.’ I don’t do physics, but if I get hit, this is not going to protect me.”
Oddly enough, even though players wearing their uniform pants above their knees is a common sight each week, Beckham is the only player to be fined for it this season.
In fact, according to spotrac.com, Beckham is just one of three players league-wide to be fined for a uniform violation, the others being injured Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, for wearing an Apple watch on the sidelines, and New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis for wearing a headband with a personal message, although that fine was later overturned on appeal.
So the NFL can’t be bothered to stop opposing players from committing some type of penalty every time Beckham goes out for a pass, but they can find a way to make sure his pants are not too short.