December 25, 2016
Peter Solari Follow @4PeteSakeNY
Something rare happened on Wednesday. The NFL actually got one right! The league was correct to suspend Giants' wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for his actions on the field. Whether he was provoked or not (hint hint: he was), Beckham has got to learn to control his emotions on the field, and in time, he will. But before you go applauding the NFL on this one, consider how incompetent league officials have been under Roger Goodall's leadership, and understand that this situation isn't any different. The NFL dropped the ball by allowing the actions of Panthers' cornerback Josh Norman, coach Ron Rivera, and the organization as a whole, to go unpunished.
This week, Giants' coach Tom Coughlin went to bat for his embattled receiver, and he hit the nail on the head. Coughlin wasn't excusing Beckham's actions, he was merely putting them into their proper perspective, which most in the media have failed to do.
When Carolina has Marcus Ball, a practice squad player who has no business being in the stadium, let alone on the field, swinging a baseball bat and threatening Beckham during pregame, and then going over to Norman to whisper something in his ear, there should be no question what part the Panthers played in what happened on Sunday.
The Panthers have said they bring the bat onto the field as a motivational tool. What??? Could you imagine how hard Bill Belichick and the Patriots would get hammered, if they ever came out with such a stupid explanation? But that's beside the point.
The Panthers have attempted to deny the allegations of threats, without actually denying them, which isn't a good look on them.
When asked about the pregame incident, Ball couldn't deny the allegations, only telling reporters that he has a lot of ex-girlfriends who don't trust him. Norman told reporters, "I don't know what you're talking about," when asked if the Panthers had threatened Beckham, and even coach Rivera stopped short of saying his team didn't threaten anybody. He just wants everyone to know that there isn't any audio of anyone threatening Beckham, so we really can't be sure it happened. Basically, Carolina is saying everything you'd expect a guilty party to say.
Let's just be clear about one thing: We know the Panthers threatened Beckham before the game, and there's really nothing else to be said about that matter. But even with all that went on in pregame, it was Norman who escalated the situation to the ugliness we saw on the field.
Norman, widely regarded as one of the top cornerbacks in the league, wasn't living up to that reputation early in the game. Norman is the type of player who has to get under his opponents' skins in order to be effective, so that didn't come as a surprise. However, Norman was getting visibly frustrated as Beckham continued to speed past him during the first quarter. Norman let his frustration get the better of him, and started getting really physical with Beckham. Things spiraled out of control from there.
Is that an excuse for Beckham? No it's not. It's just a reminder that despite what the press is reporting, Beckham wasn't just losing his mind out there. He was being provoked by a group of thugs who knew they weren't good enough to contain him. That said, Beckham still can't behave that way on the field. However, if the NFL is going to come down hard on this one, shouldn't those responsible for the entire incident, bear some of the punishment, as well?
The NFL really shouldn't have suspended anyone for this incident. Fining Beckham and Norman would have done the trick, and we all would've moved on by now. However, the league wanted to send a message, and they did so loud and clear. They've made it clear that Norman is pretty much free to act however he pleases on the field, and Beckham just has to take it, or risk being suspended.
It may sound crazy, but this is what the NFL has become under Goodall.
Don't be surprised when Norman is involved in another ugly incident like this one, down the road. When that happens, the NFL will have nobody to blame but themselves. Allowing Norman to behave this way without consequences, will only embolden him.
Norman is a rising star in this league, but he's also a loose cannon, and when you see the NFL enabling him like this, it's no wonder why.
Norman has been walking around all week, acting as though he shut Beckham down on Sunday. Perhaps, in his delusional mind, that's what happened, but according to statistics and the analysis of NFL writer Chris Wesselling, nothing could be further from the truth.
It was evident early on in Sunday's game that Norman didn't have the ability to keep up with Beckham. That's what set him off in the first place, and that's why he resorted to dirty play. That's also why things got out of control, and why we're still talking about this on Friday.
Is that a defense of Odell Beckham Jr.? No. It's an indictment on Josh Norman.
