Odell Beckham, Jr. has been vocal about being singled out by the NFL for decisions that aren't dramatically different than his peers. The wide receiver feels that this behavior continued when it was reported that the league will stop him from wearing his custom Richard Mille watch during games, according to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot.
Odell caught fans attention when he decided to don a $189,500 Richard Mille RM 11-03 McLaren Flyback Chronograph watch during his debut with the Browns. Although the NFL doesn't prohibit players from wearing jewelry, a league insider did tell ESPN that the NFL would be talking to OBJ about his watch heading into next week's matchup against the Jets. The source claimed that the discussions will be centered around the league's rules against "hard objects."
OBJ has said the league has yet to formally address him. Until it does, he will continue to wear the watch. He also told reporters that if the watch was less valuable or worn by a different player then this wouldn't even be an issue.
If the league does find objection to OBJ's watch, the wide receiver can make a strong case as to why he should be able to wear it. While the gaudy price may distract people from the design, the RM 11-03 McLaren is technically a sports watch. Also, OBJ isn't the only professional athlete to wear a Richard Mille during sporting events. On the same day OBJ wore his watch on the gridiron, Rafael Nadal was wearing a similar timepiece en route to winning the US Open. As far as the safety concerns, OBJ wore this watch during training camp without any issues and it's highly unlikely that the 1-ounce watch could cause damage to a player wearing a helmet.
Browns coach Freddie Kitchens is supporting his wide receiver's fashion decisions. When he was first asked about the watch, Kitchens explained that he didn't even know OBJ was wearing it. He then said that this rule shouldn't be exclusive to Beckham.
"As long as they’re going to enforce that with everyone, I’m fine with it," Kitchens said to MLive.com's Josh Slagter. "Let’s just make sure it gets enforced with everybody."
With all the attention his watch is getting, OBJ claims that his sole goal is to play great football and he's not interested in entertaining things that don't help him accomplish this mission.
