Odell Beckham Jr. and the Cleveland Browns have endured a frustrating season thus far, and now the wideout has another uniform beef with the National Football League. Beckham was apparently forced by league officials to change cleats at halftime of Cleveland’s road game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday after he donned cleats with clown imagery on them.
The cleats, which seem to be a reference to the Joker movie, were spotted on his feet in the first half of the game. But as the second half started, Beckham wasn’t wearing them anymore. Special pregame cleats are a common trend in the NFL these days, with some later auctioned off with proceeds going to charitable causes. But the cleats Beckham Jr. and teammate Jarvis Landry wore apparently were not meant for use on the field.
Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry were told by the NFL to change their cleats at halftime or they wouldn't be allowed to play the second half, according to the CBS broadcast. https://t.co/d6fqo6adfb
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 4, 2019
According to ESPN’s Jake Trotter, the league asked Beckham and Jarvis Landry to change their cleats at halftime, as they were not approved for wear during the game.
The NFL rulebook states that “a player may wear shoes that are black, white or any constitutional team color, or any combination of black, white and a constitutional team color.”
Beckham’s white cleats included blue and red colors in a face resembling the character from the recent “Joker” movie. Landry’s were a lighter shade of orange closer to Denver’s jersey color than Cleveland’s.
This isn’t the first time this season that Beckham has gotten in trouble with the league for wearing unauthorized gear on the field. He was fined for wearing a very expensive watch on the field earlier in the season, which he took exception to.
The Browns lost to Brandon Allen and the Broncos on Sunday in a game where Beckham was once again visibly upset with his involvement in the offense, particularly when he wasn’t targeted in single coverage on a key 4th down late the Browns failed to pick up. That, coupled with the cleat issue, surely aren’t a great combination for Beckham’s growing frustration.
