Thursday 22 December 2016 20:02, UK
Odell Beckham Jr has accused the NFL of double standards after claiming he was fined for wearing cleats honouring late sports broadcaster Craig Sager.
Beckham wore the cleats as he starred in New York Giants' 17-6 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, where he scored two touchdowns, including a one-handed grab in the end zone from Eli Manning.
Sager, a popular sideline reporter on the US sports scene, died this month from leukaemia.
Beckham was responding to an Instagram post by fellow wide receiver DeSean Jackson of the Washington Redskins who complained about being hit with a fine from the NFL for wearing a pair of special edition personalised cleats at the weekend.
Beckham posted: "Don't worry I got fined 18k for Craig Sager cleats that were auction off the cleats to the highest bidder and donating the proceeds to his cancer research. 18k like it's nothin to them, no warning to take them off or anything , noTHING!"
The NFL allowed players to wear themed cleats to promote charitable causes during Week 13 of the season, but has since returned to its regular policy of fining players for footwear that doesn't conform to uniform rules.
Beckham called his fine double standards after Dallas Cowboys running-back Ezekiel Elliott was not fined for jumping into a large Salvation Army kettle after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the weekend.
The Salvation Army has seen a massive spike in donations since Elliot's touchdown celebration, with the charity receiving almost $1m worth of online contributions since the Sunday Night Football game.
Many of those contributions have been for $21 - the same number that Elliot wears on his jersey. The Cowboys rookie himself donated $21,000 to the charity, who had reported a fall of 16 per cent in donations prior to Elliot's touchdown celebration.
"Even though I will not be fined I still will be making a donation to the @SalvationArmyUS," Elliot tweeted on Monday.
"I'm giving $21k to @SalvationArmyUS to help others. Your $21 feeds a family for 3 days," he wrote in another post.
Beckham has previously said he feels he has been victimised by the NFL.
He was fined $12,154 for verbally abusing an on-field official against the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month, and received fines totalling $72,463 for three separate incidents during the first four weeks of the season.
"I just have to understand that if I sneeze the wrong way, it'll be a flag," Beckham told reporters after he was penalised for taunting cornerback Xavier Rhodes of the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4.
"If I tie my shoe the wrong way it might be a fine."
Watch NY Giants @Philadelphia Eagles on Sky Sports 1 HD. Coverage begins at 1am on Saturday.
