Odell Beckham Jr. has filed a lawsuit against Nike over the last endorsement deal he signed with the company, according to TMZ Sports. The lawsuit says that when Beckham’s contract with Nike expired in 2017, he was considering signing with Adidas. Nike exercised its right to match the Adidas deal, but Beckham claims the deal wasn’t the same.
Beckham says Nike’s deal was structured to make it “nearly impossible for him to trigger very valuable extensions” of the contract. Things began to go south in March of this year when Beckham claims he was due a payment of around $2.6 million. He says the company withheld $2 million of the payment without any warning. The star wide receiver later learned that Nike withheld the money because the company said he committed glove and footwear violations when he altered his equipment towards the end of the 2021 season. Beckham, who played for the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams last year, says Nike manufactured the penalties to pressure him into signing a less lucrative deal with deal. He’s now looking to get $20 million from Nike.
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“Being a Nike Athlete and Brand Icon was a dream I’ve had since being a young boy. I wanted to be the next Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant in the Nike Family,” Beckham said in a statement. “When Nike exercised its right of first refusal to match the Adidas offer and not only kept me as a Nike Athlete, but also made me one of their Brand Icons – my dream had been fulfilled.
“Unfortunately, Nike did not honor its commitments. Throughout our partnership, I have kept my promise and fulfilled my obligations to the brand. I am extremely disappointed that I’ve had to take these measures to ensure Nike fulfills their obligations and promises. Today, I’m taking a stand not just for me, but to set a precedent for all athletes who have dedicated their life to the sport they love – especially those who don’t have the means to stand up for themselves. We are held responsible for fulfilling our obligations under our contracts, but we also have to hold powerful companies like Nike accountable for honoring their commitments too.”
Beckham is currently a free agent and could sign with a new NFL team soon. He has been in the NFL since 2014 and spent his five seasons with the New York Giants. He was traded to the Browns before the 2019 season and was with the team for two and a half seasons before joining the Rams. In his career, Beckham has been selected to the Pro Bowl three times the All-Pro Team two times and won a Super Bowl with the Rams last year.
