Browns' Odell Beckham Jr. Suggests NFL Targeted Him for Wearing Visor vs. Jets

Odell Beckham Jr. feels singled out. 

During the Cleveland Browns' 23-3 win over the New York Jets Monday night, Beckham was sidelined for 3rd-and-goal by the officials because his gold-tinted visor violated the league's rule on helmets and face protectors. He voiced his frustrations over the matter Thursday.

"I mean, just open your eyes a little bit," the Pro Bowl receiver told Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot. "There's people across the league with tinted visors, black visors and it's me on Monday night in New York and 'la la la, pull him off the field.'

"It is what it is. I’m just upset because I hurt my team and I didn't get a chance to make a play down there, free somebody up to get open and we ended up kicking a field goal and that could be the difference in the game."

The NFL altered its stance on visors when it announced a four-year partnership with Oakley in August. "Players will now have the option to wear Oakley Prizm Clear shields, a lightly tinted visor meant to enhance visual acuity and spatial awareness in players," Sports Illustrated's Jonathan Jones wrote at the time.

"The visor, which the league has been quietly rolling out since the Pro Bowl, has a pinkish hue that sharp eyes would have already noticed this preseason, and the partnership adds a new logo to every NFL field."

Beckham made up for his unfortunately timed absence during the Browns' opening drive with a career-long 89-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter:

Beckham finished the game having caught six of 10 targets for 161 yards and a touchdown, his first 100-yard receiving game since last season Oct. 28 while still a member of the New York Giants. His performance in Week 2, visor frustrations aside, came after an even more frustrating regular-season opener. 

The Browns' offense sputtered in a 43-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans, but Beckham was the most prominent story in the aftermath because he wore a $189,500 Richard Mille watch during the game. Just as with the visor, he later expressed that the controversy surrounding his in-game accessory only happened because he was the one wearing it

For pre-game warmups Monday night in New York, Beckham sported a $2 million Richard Mille but took it off prior to the first whistle. Two days later, Swedish watchmaker Daniel Wellington announced a new partnership with Beckham.

Given the NFL's exclusive partnership with Oakley, Beckham won't be landing a visor endorsement. Regardless, it is anybody's guess what new flare he'll add to his wardrobe for Cleveland's Sunday night primetime matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.