CLEVELAND, OHIO – DECEMBER 22: Odell Beckham Jr. #13 of the Cleveland Browns warms up prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
Odell Beckham Jr. is skeptical about the 2020 NFL season.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has made his stance on the impending NFL season clear: he wants it canceled. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal Magazine, Beckham, “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.”
Beckham doesn’t think the NFL is ready for the season. They are still yet to release a detailed plan with safety protocols for the 2020 season. Odell isn’t the first player to voice his displeasure with the league. Hundreds of players have voiced their frustrations over the past weeks about the lack of motivation from the league.
Despite his concerns about having a season, the Browns receiver is not planning on opting out, according to Mary Kay Cabot.
The NFL needs to be more proactive in protecting its players.
Training camps are already underway and there is still no plan from the NFL. At this point, it’s laughable that the league hasn’t come up with anything yet. The 2020 season will be unlike any other, but the NFL doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge that.
Dozens of NFL players have already opted out of the season, including Pro Bowlers Dont’a Hightower and C.J. Mosley. The NFL has moved the opt-out date up to Wednesday, Aug. 5. Originally, the opt-out date was meant to be seven days after the new CBA is ratified, which hasn’t happened yet.
Since entering the league in 2014, Beckham has totaled over 1,000 yards in each season that he’s played at least 12 games in. After being traded to the Browns last March, he was expected to help the Browns to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. However, the Browns underperformed last season, winning only six games and finishing third in the AFC North.