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New Cleveland Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. to critics: 'I'm not a cancer....I'm a scorpio'

The All-Pro put out the witty tweet following criticisms of him as a distraction resurfaced in the New York media
Credit: AP
New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham looks on from the bench during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the New England Patriots, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in East Rutherford. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

CLEVELAND — While Cleveland Browns fans have greeted the news of the acquisition of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. with excitement, the trade has caused others in the media, particularly in New York, to rekindle old claims that the Pro Bowler can be cancerous to a team's locker room. 

Beckham had a ready response Thursday on social media: 

There have been plenty of parting shots delivered to Beckham since the trade was reported on Tuesday. In the case of the NFL Network's Kim Jones, the message was a heartfelt thanks, as she shared a side of the polarizing wide receiver that hasn't often been seen.

"I understand he gets a bad rap. He is emotional -- so am I -- we've connected on that level," Jones said. "But I do think that there is a different side to him. I hope in Cleveland, he becomes the person I know him to be in terms of the public image because that's who he is privately."

Others in the Big Apple haven't been nearly as positive in saying good-bye to OBJ: 

From WFAN and CBS Sports' Boomer Esiason: "Enough is a freakin' nuff. I don't care how good you are. It's tolerance, and it's production. His production the last two years, due in large part to injuries and because he decided to take himself out (the last four games of 2018), he is the all-hype team. This is an all-hype guy that is basically a fruitcake when it comes to being a part of a team." 

From WFAN's Mike Francesa: “You know that I haven’t been a Beckham guy from the beginning. I’ve felt that the Giants have mishandled this from jump street. I’ve felt that from the Carolina game where they didn’t discipline him, they’ve ruined everything. I thought they ruined the team, they ruined the discipline on the team, they sent the wrong message, they let him get off on the wrong foot and everything snowballed after that. Five years later, you have a player who is extremely talented, that people are bent over for and just done everything to accommodate and all they’ve done is lost and they’ve given up who they are.”

From SNY's Ralph Vacchiano: "The Giants themselves found his off-the-field antics to be too much to handle anymore. One source simply said, "He had become too much of a pain in the ass."

On Wednesday, the Browns acquired Beckham from the Giants in exchange for a first and third round pick in 2019, as well as safety Jabrill Peppers. In 12 games last season, the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year recorded 77 receptions for 1,052 yards and 6 touchdowns.

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