NEW YORK (AP) – Odell Beckham Jr. is going to have to serve his one-game suspension.
Hearing officer James Thrash on Wednesday upheld the suspension for multiple violations of safety-related playing rules after hearing an appeal by the New York Giants wide receiver earlier in the day.
Beckham will miss the game Sunday night at Minnesota. The second-year Pro Bowler is barred from team meetings; attending or watching practices; attending Sunday’s game; or having contact with any club personnel except to arrange off-site medical treatment or rehabilitation. He will be reinstated next Monday.
The league suspended Beckham on Monday for his conduct last Sunday against Carolina, when he drew three personal foul penalties, including one for a diving helmet-to-helmet hit on Panthers cornerback Josh Norman.
Norman was fined $26,044 for his role in the confrontations.
Beckham also had a run-in with a Panthers’ player in the pregame warmups.
The suspension was handed down by NFL Vice President of Football Operations Merton Hanks, who wrote in a letter to the player: “Acts that jeopardize the safety of players or expose them to unnecessary risk cannot be tolerated.”
“I appealed my suspension because it is a right granted to all players under the NFL’s CBA,” Beckham said Wednesday on Twitter, “and because I owe it to my teammates to do everything I can to be on the field this week. Regardless of the outcome of my appeal, I apologize for my actions on Sunday. I work hard to be great and accepting the Blessing of having the physical skills to play at this level brings the responsibility to conduct myself in a certain way on and off the field. Sportsmanship and respecting the game are as important as blocking, running routes, catching the football. I dropped the ball on sportsmanship on Sunday.”
The 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Beckham has 91 catches for 1,396 yards and 13 touchdowns, tied for the league lead. His absence could be a huge factor for a team barely in playoff contention.