Odell Beckham Jr. is never afraid to speak his mind, and this time he has words for Gregg Williams.
Williams' defense will be tasked with trying to stop Beckham in Week 2 when the Jets welcome the Browns to MetLife Stadium for Monday Night Football. On Thursday, Beckham was asked about Williams, and he brought up the time he was injured in a preseason game for the Giants against Williams' Cleveland defense in 2017.
Beckham claims that players on the Browns told him afterwards that Williams was instructing them to make "dirty hits" to try and take him out what was an exhibition game.
"It's like a known rule in preseason, nobody in the NFL is really out to do stuff like that," Beckham told the media. "I had players on this team telling me that that's what he (Williams) was telling them to do, take me out of the game, and it's preseason. You just know who he is. That's the man calling the plays ... The only thing I'm buying is you know probably just got to watch out for the cheap shots and the dirty hits and all the things that he likes to teach."
Odell Beckham, Jr. said dirty hit coached by Gregg Williams led to subsequent injuries he suffered: "Nobody in the NFL is really out to do stuff like that. ...you just know who he is." #browns #jets pic.twitter.com/1XtUvFIp2f
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) September 12, 2019The hit in question in 2017 sidelined Beckham for Week 1 with an ankle injury. He was back for Week 2, but he says he returned too early from that ailment to try and help the Giants, and that his lack of a proper recovery played a part in the injury eventually worsening when he was diagnosed with a fractured ankle after Week 5. He then underwent surgery and missed the rest of that campaign.
Williams, of course, has a history with this kind of thing. In February of 2012, Williams was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for his role in the Saints "Bountygate" scandal. During Williams' time as the Saints defensive coordinator, he operated a bounty fund that paid players for causing injuries that resulted in players having to leave a game.
The NFL reinstated Williams in February of 2013, and he has since worked for the Titans, Rams, Browns before the Jets hired him this offseason.
Beckham essentially accused Williams of causing the injury issues that derailed his 2017 season.
"It's something that I'll never forget. It's something that changed my life forever, so I don't necessarily regret it. Of course, I wish it didn't happen, but it did, so that led to the ankle (injury) for sure."
