Ryan Glasspiegel
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The Wall Street Journal published an interview with Odell Beckham Jr. with the headline “Odell Beckham Jr. Doesn’t Think The NFL Should Come Back This Season”. Of course, that’s going to make waves. Here is what he specifically said in the interview in response to a question about his having expressed doubts the NFL wouldn’t come back this season:
That’s how I feel. Obviously with everything that’s going on, it doesn’t make sense why we’re trying to do this. I can understand basketball was already in the playoffs. Five-on-five basketball in an arena is going to be more intense than regular-season games. Hooping is different than playing an eleven-on-eleven contact sport where there’s 80 people in a locker room. 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.
But, not so fast. Mary Kay Cabot, a reporter for Cleveland.com who has been covering the Browns for a long time, tweeted the following:
Odell Beckham's Jr.'s interview with WSJ was done 2 weeks ago before he saw how safe the #Browns facility was, and he has no plans of opting out, multiple sources tell me https://t.co/iTuhXm2evx
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 3, 2020
The WSJ story does say that the interview took place before the NFL announced their extensive Covid-19 protocols on July 24th, and Beckham Jr. reported to camp on July 28th. It’s weird that they had this type of newsworthy interview with a newsmaker and held it for this long.
Forgive me for not putting a whole lot of significance on Odell Beckham’s opinions on science and medicine.
That said, Odell you are correct about one thing. It is about money. That’s why grocery stores never closed, and I haven’t missed a day of work at my office either. My company needs me in my seat to generate revenue, to generate a paycheck for myself and the rest of my colleagues. Hard as it might be for someone with a 7th grade education to fully comprehend, the NFL owners need revenue to pay you. AND Unlike grocery store workers and office workers like me, you were offered $150k to sit at home for a year. If I were you, I’d take out a full page ad in the shitty Cleveland newspaper or the WSJ thanking the owners for their generosity.
WSJ used to be a good read. They still have lots of raw news, but their editorial and column staff are weak. Two week old interview with OBJ (who) is literally stale lettuce 🥬
Hey Ryan, heard Rush Limbaugh cite one of your stories today; and Outkick Too. Well done 👍 Keep up the work. And keep it Fun and honest.