Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has gone silent on social media in order to step up his training for the coming season, but he took a trip to London to help kick off tryouts for the new NFL Academy in the United Kingdom before going dark.
During that trip, Beckham did an interview with Complex that touched on his advice for aspiring British football players, his background as a soccer player and more. The latter category included a response to a question about whether he thinks the offseason move from the Giants to the Browns will enable him to reach his full potential.
“I can’t wait to get going. I just felt with the Giants I was just stuck at a place that wasn’t working for me anymore,” Beckham said. “I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to reach my full potential there; mentally, physically, spiritually, everything I felt capable of doing, I just couldn’t see it happening there. So I think allowing me to be in an environment where I can be myself and give it a different approach, I feel like my football will benefit. I’m just excited about being able to play football again and not have to deal with all the other stuff and politics that came with my previous role.”
Beckham may not have liked dealing with “other stuff and politics” while with the Giants, but others would almost certainly argue that he played a sizable role in making sure that tensions mounted over the course of his time with the team. Getting rid of them would make it easier to keep the focus on football, although Beckham’s history suggests it will be a little bit of time before we know if that’s how things will play out in Cleveland.