Browns' Beckham blasts NFL over $14K uniform fine
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. went off on social media Monday after the NFL fined him $14,037 for wearing his uniform pants above the knee during the team's Oct. 13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
"14 k for some pants that are NOT gonna protect me from anything ... this (stuff) is ridiculous," Beckham posted Monday night as part of an Instagram story that included the letter from the NFL notifying him of the fine for violating league policy on uniforms and equipment.
He said he plans to appeal the fine.
Beckham, who earned a lot of attention -- and some grief from the NFL -- after a Week 2 contest against the New York Jets for wearing a high-priced Richard Mille watch during games, was also fined the same $14,037 amount after a Week 4 fight with Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey.
Following the latest fine, the fashion-conscious player decided to blast the NFL over its uniform policy.
"I think it's crazy," Beckham said. "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.
"It's just stuff like that (that) I feel like we can come to a better agreement and simplifying things and not taking the money out of the pockets of the players who are putting money into this entire game.
"It's just tough. It sucks to get fined for socks. Or in the middle of the game, have someone come up and it's like, 'Oh, your jersey is out.' I'm like, 'Bro I'm not worried about my jersey in the middle of the game.' I'm worried about what assignment do I have. A visor, this. All those little things that could be eliminated ... stuff that doesn't need to be so strict."
--Field Level Media
