Odell Beckham Jr.'s 1-game suspension has been upheld
The NFL has upheld Odell Beckham Jr.'s one-game suspension for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Carolina Panthers' cornerback Josh Norman.
In a letter to Beckham, Merton Hanks, the NFL's vice president of football operations, said acts that jeopardize player safety will not be tolerated.
"Acts that jeopardize the safety of players or expose them to unnecessary risk cannot be tolerated," Hanks wrote.
Beckham will not play in the New York Giants' game Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings, a game crucial to the Giants' hopes of making the playoffs.
Beckham was suspended on Monday for his antics against Norman, which began with handfighting and scrapping and culminated in the 3rd quarter with Beckham launching himself head first and swiping the side of Norman's helmet. Norman retaliated, and both players received unnecessary roughness penalties, though neither was ejected.
After the verdict was handed down, Bekcham released a statement apologizing to his teammates, the Giants organization, and to the fans of the NFL, saying he "dropped the ball on sportsmanship on Sunday."
Here is the entire statement:
Here's the play:
Panthers head coach Ron Rivera has since announced that the Panthers will stop bringing bats with them onto the field, despite the fact that the team had been doing so for the majority of the season as a motivational tactic without controversy.
On Wednesday, Norman received a fine of $26,000 for his antics against Beckham during Sunday's game.