Odell Beckham Jr. On Ankle Hit In Giants’ Loss To Browns: ‘It’s Just Football’

Odell Beckham Jr. seems to have avoided severe injury after being hit in the ankle in the New York Giants‘ 10-6 preseason loss to the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday night.

Odell Beckham Jr. Injury news

The fourth-year Giants wide receiver fell hard after he jumped to successfully catch a pass from Eli Manning early in the second quarter and Browns cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun aimed a low hit at his left leg. Beckham, 24, was diagnosed with an ankle sprain and underwent an MRI on Tuesday afternoon.

The former LSU wideout played off the injury following the game, saying he thinks he will be ok.

“(It) feels like a sprained ankle,” Beckham said via the team’s official website. “I don’t know. Rolled ankle. Have you ever hurt your ankle? That is kind of what it feels like. I think I’ll be all right.”

Beckham sat on the sideline during the second half after X-rays came back negative. Giants coach Ben McAdoo refused to rule out the receiver next week, and Beckham himself appeared confident that he would be ready to play for the team’s regular season opener against the Cowboys in Dallas on Sept. 10.

Few NFL pundits questioned the legality of the hit, although many fans on social media were angry and called it a dirty play. Beckham didn’t dispute the officials’ call of a legal hit.

“I don’t know, it’s just football I guess, preseason,” he said, shaking his head, according to the Associated Press. “I’m not really the judge. It’s just football in my opinion.”

McAdoo agreed with his player.

“It’s football. You can’t hit a guy high, you can’t hit a guy low, you can’t hit him in the middle,” McAdoo said. “It’s one of those balls that Eli [Manning] had to drive it and he left his feet. That is a tough play for a DB.”

Giants safety Landon Collins, however, remained convinced Boddy-Calhoun’s tackle was excessive, and made a point to tell the cornerback afterwards.

“I said he was wrong for what he did,” Collins said after the game. “He said, ‘It is what it is.’

“I’m gonna say it just like this, I couldn’t have a teammate next to me playing that way. I can’t condone it. It’s nothing I seek. He had the opportunity to go out and make a different route. That’s how I feel about it. … It’s not a penalty, but everybody knows, that’s something you don’t do.”

Boddy-Calhoun also intercepted a pass from Manning near the end zone midway through the fourth quarter on a Giants third-and-goal:

Collins also praised his teammate for getting back up after taking such a big hit. “Not many guys could walk away from a hit like that, especially straight on the knee and your feet get caught in the ground. Not many guys walk away from that. That’s God blessing him. He got strong bones.”

Beckham had three catches for 37 yards before leaving the field in Cleveland.

Among the Giants’ major highlights on Monday night was this interception by Jason Pierre-Paul in the first quarter. The pick came after Olivier Vernon blocked Browns quarterback Brock Osweiler’s pass:

Vernon then sacked rookie QB DeShone Kizer in the second quarter:

The rest of the Giants’ receiving corps also suffered. Brandon Marshall underwent X-rays during the game on his shoulder, and Tavarres King left with a sprained ankle.

However, Marshall sent ESPN’s Adam Schefter a text message Tuesday morning to say he will be fine.

“You never want to see guys leaving the field,” said Manning. “Hopefully all of them are minor [injuries] and we can get back to work on things.”

New York also lost cornerback Michael Hunter to a concussion later in the game.

The Giants next face the Jets on Saturday night.

CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 21: Odell Beckham Jr. #13 of the New York Giants walks off the field after suffering an injury in the first half of a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 21, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)