Despite repeated offenses, New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. doesn't believe his outbursts on the field are related to physical and mental jabs from opposing defenders.
After Monday's 24-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, in which Beckham was flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty for taunting opposing cornerback Xavier Rhodes, the receiver feels like his back is up against the wall.
"If I sneeze the wrong way, it’ll be a flag," Beckham told reporters after the game when asked whether he feels his temperament draws added attention from officials. "If I tie my shoe the wrong way it might be a fine."
Beckham doesn't believe he was in the wrong, and said he felt Rhodes' hit was intentionally late.
“This is a man’s sport. You have to protect yourself at all times and things got that way," he said. "I just gotta know where I’m at. I just gotta know it’s all against me, it’s going to be that way. I have to assume that I’m always in the wrong no matter what. That’s a tough pill to swallow but I just have to cope with it and keep it moving.
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“I can’t lie to you, it’s tough. It’s all against you. You have to know that, you have to understand it. It’s never going to deter from what I want to do, it’s never going to deter us from the goals we have set, the goals I have set. It’s not going to stop me. It’s just going to make me have to work harder, smarter … just understand that it’s all against you. It is what it is. Whatever you want to call it, it’s against you. You have to live with that.”
Beckham was clearly frustrated Monday as the Vikings defense held him without a catch in the second half, resulting in three receptions for career-low 23 yards.
His antics brought criticism from his quarterback, Eli Manning, who said Beckham has kind of "brought upon himself" the officials watching him closely.
"He's got to be aware," Manning said. "People are looking for him. He's got to play smart, and he can't afford to do anything there. They're going to call him. He's brought that on himself and he's got to realize that."
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Giants' general manager Jerry Reese was spotted speaking to Beckham at length in the locker room after most of team had left.
“It is what it is. Created, not created, it doesn’t matter," Beckham said of the perception he's being targeted. "When you’re at the top of your game, they’re going to knock you off. That’s just what it is.
“I have to know the case, I have to know the scenario. The refs are looking to call anything and they’re not looking to call anything the other way. You have to know that. You have to know it and be OK with it. Unfortunately, you have to be OK with it. But that’s just the position I’m in.”