Josh Norman said there was “beauty” and “truth” in his altercations with Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. last year, and is looking forward to renewing their rivalry on a more regular basis.
The new Washington Redskins cornerback wrote for The Players’ Tribune on Monday discussing a variety of topics, including his relationship with Beckham.
“When Odell and I went at one another last year, people got mad,” he wrote. “Imagine that. People who watch this sport every Sunday and say they love it actually pretended to be offended. They don’t see the beauty in it. They don’t see the truth.
“The guy lining up across from me, he knows the truth. There are a lot of people who watch this game, or who are paid to commentate on it, who might not understand the true reality. They might get offended. They might think we’re animals.
“But Odell and I, we know the truth. Anybody who makes it to this level knows it. The truth is that on the football field, he’s trying to steal my bologna, and I’m trying to steal his. See you twice a year, bro.”
Norman and Beckham were involved in a series of post-snap altercations on the field in their December meeting when Norman was playing for the Carolina Panthers. The end result was three penalty flags against Beckham and a one-game suspension the following week. Norman was fined but not suspended for his role.
“Does it offend you? Does it ruin your experience? What do you think you’re watching?” Norman wrote. “You’re watching raw, uncut aggression. You’re watching 22 guys trying to obliterate one another.”
In his article, Norman also insisted that he is not much a trash-talker.
“I do not talk that much [expletive],” he wrote. “Go ahead and look at the film when I’m mic’d up against Julio Jones. We don’t talk when we play. When I’m playing Mike Evans? O.K., I’ll give you that. We have some conversations. He’s trying to be about that life. I am about that life. You can’t get in somebody’s head who is already in his own head. I came up through the darkness. I was born in that. I was molded by that. I love it, man.”
..... - Newsday