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Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was in the headlines Monday morning for an article that came out on the Wall Street Journal in which he said the following:
“We’re not ready for football season. So why are we trying to push forward? It’s obviously for their money. And that bothers me because there’s always been this—and I hate saying it like that—but the owners’ [attitude is], ‘Oh we own you guys,’ and just kind of that unfairness going on that they don’t see us as human. I just feel like the season shouldn’t happen and I’m prepared for it to not happen and I wouldn’t mind not having it.”
The article is behind the WSJ subscription, so thanks to Ben Axelrod of WKYC for pulling out some of the quotes for readers to see.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, there is no cause for concern regarding Beckham opting out for the 2020 NFL season. Per her sources, the quotes to the WSJ were made a couple of weeks ago in a roundtable discussion, and he has “developed more of a comfort level for playing now that he’s been inside the Browns facility and sees how safe and sanitary everything is.”
Important context for everyone drumming up the latest Odell-related panic attacks: His comments in the WSJ interview came before the NFL-NFLPA agreement and before health and safety protocols were clear.
— Nick Shook (@TheNickShook) August 3, 2020
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL was looking at moving up the league’s opt out deadline to some time this week:
Opt-out deadline for NFL players is now expected to be moved up to either Tuesday or Wednesday, per league sources, depending on talks this weekend. NFL is pushing to move up the deadline from one week after the new CBA side-letter is signed, and it now is expected even sooner.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 1, 2020