Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
LeBron James is familiar with the difficulty of being a sports star in Cleveland and not having the full support of your organization. Cleveland Browns wideout Odell Beckham Jr. has been nursing a shoulder injury this season, but his greatest struggles have been developing any chemistry with quarterback Baker Mayfield. And with the trade deadline on the horizon, James went on Twitter to support a move for Beckham Jr. to go somewhere else.
“OBJ will show again why he’s special,” King James tweeted. “WR1 #FreeOBJ.” But the Browns didn’t pull the trigger on any deals for the former 3x Pro Bowl wide receiver, which means he and Mayfield will likely have to suffer the rest of the season together. Since Beckham Jr. went to the Browns in 2019, he’s only played in 29 games and had seven touchdowns.
Based on one of his latest IG posts from a few days ago, it appears that OBJ feels slighted by Mayfield’s oversight of him and that he’s been hung out to dry by his team. Beckham Jr. posted a short clip that mixed a scene from The Dark Knight Rises with highlight moments from his career, shots of him in the gym, and simply enjoying life. Interestingly, the post is backdropped by “No Industry Friends,” from Drake’s latest album, Certified Lover Boy.
The drama surrounding the Browns, Mayfield, and OBJ has become tense enough that Beckham Jr. was excused from today’s team practice. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the Browns believed there weren’t “any offers that would make sense for the organization.”
Even OBJ’s dad is fed up with his son not getting any looks from Mayfield. “Generally Behind Da Scene,” Odell Sr. wrote on his own IG page, “BUT NOT TODAY.” In his post, Papa Odell produced an 11-minuted video that showed many times that Mayfield overlooked his son, even though OBJ was in position to catch the ball.
One fan responded to OBJ Sr.’s post and wrote that “either [Mayfield’s] hating on Odell or he just doesn’t want him shining frfr.” Papa Odell clearly agreed with the commenter, too, and responded with three green checkmarks. As of Week 9 and with a record of 4-4, the Browns have a 34% chance to make the playoffs, and this current situation will not likely improve their odds. Let’s see if OBJ and Mayfield can figure something out before it’s too late.
Check out how the #FreeOBJ movement has caught traction on Twitter:
