Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Monday that he thought wide receiver Odell Beckham and Panthers cornerback Josh Norman should get the same punishment from the league based on what they did on the field during last Sunday’s 38-35 Panthers victory.
The NFL didn’t see it that way. Beckham has been suspended for one game and will have an appeal hearing on Wednesday with James Thrash in hopes of having it overturned while Norman has reportedly been fined in excess of $26,000. During his Wednesday press conference, Coughlin continued on a similar line while saying that he feels Beckham has been singled out for his actions.
“It’s not fair, it’s not justice, it’s not the way it was,” Coughlin said. “If you’re naive enough to think that way, you better do some soul searching yourself. Beckham certainly was wrong and we said he was wrong from day one. But there were factors involved starting in pregame, which are well documented, which indicate there was an attempt to provoke him. He was provoked, he was out of control, he was wrong, no doubt about that but ... there are two sides to this not just one.”
As mentioned, Norman was fined and there could be other fines coming for the Panthers. Those penalties are not as stiff as a suspension, but they are penalties and different actions have always had different consequences.
Coughlin brought up the now retired baseball bat that the Panthers toted around the field before the game and said the team has spoken to the league about their issues with Carolina’s behavior. While Coughlin was forceful in his comments and all of that may explain why Beckham became unhinged during the game, even the coach doesn’t excuse Beckham’s behavior and it winds up being a stronger argument for stiffer penalties for the Panthers than a more lenient slap on the wrist for the Giants wideout.
