Norman Vs. Beckham Jr.

Norman vs. Beckham Jr.

Tom Pedulla’s headline that appeared in the New York Times on the Monday after the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens read, “Josh Norman’s Defense Uncovers Odell Beckham Jr.’s Dark Side.” In the tale of two halves, the Carolina Panthers pulled out a 38–35 victory over the Giants to go 14–0 with just two games left to play in the 2015 season, but that wasn’t the big story of the game.

An emerging star for his sensational one-handed catches and freakish statistics, Odell Beckham Jr. was anything but classy during this epic battle at MetLife Stadium. Josh Norman covered Beckham like a blanket, and their blows during the game would have landed them both in the county lockup if they hadn’t been on a field overseen by referees. The blow that led to Beckham’s one-game suspension came about when Beckham speared Norman in the head with his own head, coming across a pile of tacklers with Norman in his sights. After the game, it came out that Norman himself had participated in some very controversial antics that got under Beckham’s skin.

There are a number of Scriptures that come to mind when I see this type of performance played out on the field. But the Scripture that resonates the most is Proverbs 12:16: “A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.” Don’t show your annoyance at once. Grow in wisdom so that you will have it to show restraint!

A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.

Proverbs 12:16