Sports psychologist: Odell Beckham Jr. needs to refocus his aggression
Odell Beckham Jr.'s outbursts — assaulting a kicking net, taking a taunting penalty and throwing tantrums on the sidelines — have been a byproduct of the star New York Giants receiver’s fiery personality.
“That’s not a bad thing,” said Doug Gardner, a sports psychologist who has counseled several NFL players. “I have worked with so many athletes like this. Organizations often want a player to act a certain way, but you never want to take away a person’s intensity. It’s what fuels them and keeps them going.”
Gardner, however, said Beckham needs to control his rage, especially when it comes to how quickly opponents get under his skin like what took place in Monday’s 24-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Beckham was held to a career-low 23 yards on three catches and it was readily apparent Vikings defensive back Xavier Rhodes trash-talked Beckham off his game.
“Now you know how easy it is to get into his head,” said Gardner, who runs California-based ThinkSport Consulting Services. “You need the coping skills to deal with that. It’s easier when you’re smack talk is backed up by your performances. That’s something you can’t rely on because it takes 10 other players on the field to succeed in football.”
Gardner said the fix isn’t a process that would take months of counseling.
“He needs to learn to channel that aggression and passion for the game and carry into preparing mentally for the things you will see and hear,” Gardner said. “It doesn’t take six months. When you’re prepared for the trash talk, it becomes a choice on how you react. Right now, it almost looks like he’s looking for a confrontation because maybe he believes that makes him play better. Playing that way is like rocket fuel. You can only play at a high level so long in that state.”
There is one complicating factor to Beckham learning to cope with what the opposition tosses his way each weekend, Gardner said.
“Is he only going into games with a chip on his shoulder or is he brooding and upset on a day-to-day basis?” Gardner said. “If the latter is the case, that won’t allow him to prepare properly. As a professional football player, you can’t be upset and angry as you prepare for a game Monday through Saturday.”
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