Odell Beckham: Famous catch has been ‘bittersweet’ for me

The catch began Odell Beckham Jr’s meteoric rise to stardom. But it also had its drawbacks.

The Giants’ superstar wide receiver still feels that the after-effects of the sensational grab, a leaping one-handed 43-yard touchdown catch against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football while he was being interfered with, haven’t been all positive.

“It’s bittersweet because I think my career is much more than one catch,” he said Friday, on the four-year anniversary of the play, as the Giants prepared to face the Eagles on Sunday.

Beckham, the NFL’s highest-paid receiver and fastest player ever to 300 receptions (45 games), has found himself trying to live up to it, to prove he’s more than that one spectacular highlight. It led to scrutiny around the league, putting a bull’s-eye on his back as a rookie.

It hasn’t helped that the Giants haven’t done much winning, reaching the playoffs once since drafting him in the first round in 2014.

When someone makes an acrobatic reception, the 26-year-old Beckham will frequently get tagged on Instagram. There are endless comparisons to his play. The three-time Pro Bowler doesn’t mind them.

“It gives me motivation to do something crazier,” he said.

The catch is also a part of his legacy. Who knows where he would be without it?

“It was a moment that obviously changed my life forever, for better or for worse, whatever you want to call it. It changed my life,” Beckham said. “There is no way that I can ever forget about that moment. I can tell you, I remember the smell of the stadium. I can remember it all. So it’s a very special moment.”