The NFL are looking into ways to implement better discipline in the field. With groups of emotionally and physically charged men in one place, the occurrence of violence sometimes becomes unavoidable. Regardless of the withstanding rules in the gridiron, there remain incidents that warrant more than just a foul, warning or fine. Moreover, the NFL officials aim to mete out penalties immediately after the violations are committed - a goal that was not immediately addressed by the heavier fine of suspension. For their part, some NFL team owners feel that too much power is given to the officials ruling the gridiron.
Hence, the decision on the "ejection rule" now provides a resolution to these dilemmas. It addresses the need of the NFL to immediately discipline erring football team players while also responding to the clamor of the owners for less subjective powers of the game officials. Interestingly, the new rule earned a nickname even before it even started to take effect: "The Odell Beckham Rule."
"The Odell Beckham Rule" came about when the New York Giants faced off against the Carolina Panthers in December. During the said game, Beckham got into an altercation against Josh Norman. The two eventually caused too many issues in the field resulting in two personal fouls from the Carolina Panthers cornerback. Meanwhile, the New York Giants wide receiver incurred three personal fouls. Despite their behavior, neither football star was ejected from the said game.
"Well, I think that's a little unfair," commented John Mara of the name dubbed to the ejection policy. The New York Giants co-owner added, "But I'm inclined to be supportive of it because it would remove some of the discretion from the officials and set a clear line. And I think players would be aware of that, that 'Hey, I've got one (personal foul). If I get one more I'm out of the game.' I think there's a lot of merit to that."
For the part of the NFL, Roger Goodell explained the logic behind "The Odell Beckham Rule."
"We should take that out of the hands of the officials when it gets to that point," noted Goodell. "They will obviously have to throw the flag when they do and we'll look to see if we can reach an agreement on the conditions of which they'd be ejected. But that is a competition committee matter that will be discussed further with the Players Association in February at the (scouting) combine as well as with the membership in March."
Meanwhile, Beckham is also attracting attention in another industry. Reports have surfaced that the New York Giants wide receiver is dating Disney star Zendaya. The two have been spotted hanging out at various events several times in the previous months. However, Zendaya remains adamant on her stance that she and Beckham are just friends.
"Here's the thing, a couple of things, first of all it wasn't really a date," clarified Zendaya of her relationship with Beckham. She later added, "Here's the thing: Even if it does progress, you gotta go through my dad first. Just because you're in the NFL, you killin' stuff, that doesn't mean you get to skip past pops. He's not going to allow that to happen."
