Odell Beckham Jr., the supremely talented and flamboyant star for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, announced that he is out for the rest of the season after ripping the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
ESPN’s Josina Anderson broke the news of the career-threatening injury that took place on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020.
Odell Beckham Jr just text me that his ACL is torn and that his season is over.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) October 26, 2020
Nicknamed OBJ, the wide receiver is considered one of the most transcendent and gifted wide receivers of this generation due to his incomparable combination of speed, quickness and jaw-dropping catching abilities. Couple that with his vast female fanbase due to his leading-man good looks, and the tearing of his ACL is a loss not just for the Browns but for the entire sport.
Beckham went down in the first quarter while trying to make a tackle after Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield threw an interception. In the ensuing fracas and blizzard of bodies crashing together, Beckham’s knee bent the wrong way, causing the ligaments holding the kneecap in place to snap.
The timing is particularly poignant for Beckham because he is in his physical prime at 27, and the Browns, at 5-2, are headed for their first winning season and playoff run in almost 20 years.
“Obviously it’s a big loss,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday, Oct. 26, according to ESPN. “He’s a huge part of what we do, so now we’ll just have to huddle up and find some different ways and find some different people and put them in that role.
“You never replace a player of Odell’s caliber with one player.”
To add insult to injury, the Browns had a nearly perfect day after Beckham went down. Mayfield went on to throw for 300 yards and five TDs in a thrilling, come-from-behind victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, 37-34, in the final seconds.
