Odell Beckham Jr scored a TD, injured his knee, became a Super Bowl champion, and is about to be a dad.
Beckham made bonus money and some new jewelry as a cherry on top to play in the game under the duress that his child could be born at any minute.
Not bad for a Sunday in February.
Indeed š @obj pic.twitter.com/UqhNie4UWb
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 14, 2022
The Bling Bling Champ
Wearing $200,000 diamond-studded cleats, Beckham ran his first championship TD into the history books to help the Rams’ 23-20 Super Bowl LVI triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Beckham had two receptions for 52 yards before scoring the game’s first touchdown. He beat Mike Hilton in the right corner of the end zone and scored 17 yards.
However, calamity would strike when a lingering knee injury aggravated during a non-contact play saw Beckham writhing on the field in pain.
Odell Beckham Jr. has been ruled out (knee) for the rest of the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/zDR945lG7e
— ESPN (@espn) February 14, 2022
Knee-dled
Beckham’s injury happened with 3:50 remaining in the second quarter. He was listed as questionable to return by halftime, and with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter, was ruled out.
Beckham tore his left ACL in 2020 while with the Cleveland Browns.
However, he returned to the sideline to watch his teammates lock up the late victory.
“This is everything I’ve ever dreamed of, you know,” Beckham told reporters after the game. “And there was a moment I was in the back room and they told me I was done, I couldn’t play. And I had to come back out there and be a part of this because it’s so much bigger than myself. And these boys pulled through and made it happen.”
Super Bowl champion Odell Beckham Jr.
HE DID IT š pic.twitter.com/3QLRiMJdPu
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 14, 2022
Righteous Exoneration
The Rams signed Beckham after he was released by the Cleveland Browns at midseason. He left northeast Ohio feeling dejected and abandoned.
Beckham Sr. posted a video on Instagram back in November highlighting times Baker Mayfield didn’t throw the ball to an open OBJ. Beckham Sr. also responded affirmatively to a post that said Mayfield was “either hating on Odell or he just doesn’t want him shining.”
However, since becoming a part of the Los Angeles Rams, Beckham delivered in the postseason after a slow start to his new Southern California career.
They said he was the problem.
Now he has his first ring š @obj pic.twitter.com/PRpmqQZBkY
— Overtime (@overtime) February 14, 2022
SoCal’s Wide Receiver
OBJ had 19 catches on 23 targets for 236 yards and a touchdown in three NFC playoff games, with a long of 31 yards. In receptions and yards, he was second only to Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp.
Beckham’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next month, and undoubtedly his stock has risen tremendously. The Super Bowl win has helped him re-ignite the spark that made him a superstar on the New York Giants.
Odell Beckham, Jr. now has as many receiving touchdowns with the Rams (7) as he did during his entire tenure with the Browns š³
(@FieldYates) pic.twitter.com/Ocnwqi28SH— Footballism (@FootbaIIism) February 13, 2022
Delayed Gratification
OBJ was working to change the stigma that he is not the same wide receiver he was between 2014-2018.
š @obj is a Super Bowl CHAMPION!#SBLVI | @RamsNFL pic.twitter.com/9tOXB9joay
— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) February 14, 2022
Beckham, fellow WR Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, and quarterback Matthew Stafford are first-time champions. For OBJ and Stafford, it was a delayed gratification after being in the league for some time.
After a less than amicable parting from the Browns, OBJ is now at the top of the NFL mountain.
More news from our partners: