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New York Giants

Odell Beckham Jr. 'honestly shocked' he wasn't ejected in Josh Norman matchup

Mike Coppinger
USA TODAY
New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham (13) carries the ball as Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman (24) is tackled by Giants center Weston Richburg (70) at MetLife Stadium.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Odell Beckham Jr. walked around in a towel and muttered to reporters.

When he was finally dressed, he had trouble latching his gold chain over his all-black outfit, finally locking it on the third attempt. The New York Giants wide receiver got the best of nemesis Josh Norman with seven catches for 121 yards, but Beckham was inconsolable at his locker following the 29-27 defeat by the Washington Redskins.

After burning the Redskins cornerback for two big plays to open the fourth quarter, Eli Manning tossed a red-zone interception. Beckham lost his cool and threw a tantrum on the sideline. His meltdown included a helmet-swing into the kicking net, which then collapsed on his head.

Beckham appeared to be in tears as Manning tried to coax him out of it. When asked at his locker why he was so upset, he responded, “I don’t remember.”

Was he indeed crying? “I don’t remember,” Beckham said again, clearly still incredibly upset about the loss.

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“We’re just two fierce competitors, that’s all it is,” Beckham remarked of Norman, whom he met with at midfield after the game. The receiver also had a visible scratch on his right cheek, but said he also didn’t remember how it happened. “We love football. I feel like this has turned into something that is not football and honestly I know that that’s all that I care for is football.”

Manning, who tossed a game-ending pick on the final drive, said he was trying to figure out what set Beckham off.

"He was getting catches, he was making plays and we just need everybody to stay calm," Manning said. "We don't need to get rattled, we don't need to get fired up. You can get excited, celebrate with your teammates but we just need to do better job offensively — everybody — to stay calm and stay in our rhythm."

Beckham said he didn’t remember any words exchanged between himself and Norman. What he did remember, though, was an official coming up to him with a stern pregame warning.

“’If you do anything, we’re throwing you out the game,’” Beckham recalled an official instructing, adding he was under the impression he would be ejected after only one personal foul. “ … There was no ‘You get a warning.’ … You just gotta be on your best behavior. Unfortunately, that’s what we’ve come to. It’s not really football anymore as much as it all the other things that play into it."

Odell Beckham Jr. has sideline meltdown after Eli Manning interception

The Pro Bowl wideout said he was “honestly shocked” that he wasn’t ejected after he made a late block.

The officials were on high alert after the foul-filled matchup between Beckham and Norman in Week 15 of last season. During that game, Norman (then with the Carolina Panthers) was called for two personal fouls, while Beckham racked up three and a one-game suspension.

This year, a rule was introduced that carries an automatic ejection following two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Starting Giants center Weston Richburg was ejected for what Beckham referred to as the “Odell Beckham Jr. Rule” after his second such foul.

"I let my team down," Richburg admitted. "I have to be a presence in there and be a leader and I let my team down."

It looked like the feud between Beckham and Norman was about to boil over early in the contest, when Beckham faked a fade route on a run play. Norman lifted him, carried him a few steps, and then released him. Both players threw their hands up to the official to signal they did nothing wrong. And Beckham said –—of course — that he didn’t remember what happened there.

“It’s never been an issue (with Norman),” Beckham insisted. “It’s something that’s been made up by all of this. In a sense, like I said, all I care about is football. I’m sure it’s the same for him.”

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