Ray Lewis never has seen someone he couldn’t preach to, and he found the perfect target in Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham and a few New York Giants teammates made waves last week by spending their off day partying in Miami with the likes of Justin Bieber and Trey Songz. After the Giants fell flat in their NFC Wild Card Game against the Green Bay Packers — thanks to several key drops from Beckham — the star wide receiver took plenty of (deserved) heat.
On Wednesday, it was Ray Lewis’ turn to weigh in. In an appearance on FOX Sports 1’s “Speak For Yourself,” the former Baltimore Ravens linebacker climbed onto his pulpit to explain to Beckham the error of his ways.
“When you talk about what this kid is doing to his legacy … This is about respect for the game,” Lewis said. “I’m about to play against one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Lambeau Field, and I’m gonna go in Miami and hang out with Trey Songz and Justin Bieber?”
That’s a fair point, but Lewis didn’t stop there, channeling his inner old man to complain about Beckham’s “me first” attitude.
“When you respect the game, you respect the forefathers that came before you,” Lewis added. “These young kids have lost their minds because they think — the social media wave, this whole wave, it’s all about ‘me, me, me, me.’ There is no ‘me.'”
That take, of course, is coming from a guy who did this before every home game:
Beckham certainly needs to get his act together and could learn from some of the advice he’s been given. But there’s definitely a little irony in Lewis lecturing the 24-year-old about keeping his head down and his mouth shut.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
