Odell Beckham Jr. Sues Nike For $20M For Breach Of Contract: I Am Extremely Disappointed That I’ve Had To Take These Measures To Ensure Nike Fulfills Their Obligations & Promises

Odell Beckham, Jr.

Odell Beckham Jr. Sues Nike For $20M For Breach Of Contract: I Am Extremely Disappointed That I’ve Had To Take These Measures To Ensure Nike Fulfills Their Obligations & Promises

Odell Beckham Jr. wants Nike to stop playing and cut him a check!

According to reports, Odell Beckham Jr., 30, has filed a $20 million lawsuit against powerhouse apparel company Nike. The star athlete is claiming that Nike cost him millions of dollars by suppressing sales of sneakers that would’ve triggered a contract extension.

The lawsuit claims that in 2017, when his original Nike deal expired, Odell Beckham Jr. strongly considered switching teams and taking his talents to Adidas, who offered him a huge contract. However, not wanting to lose the famed public figure, Nike allegedly exercised their right to match the Adidas deal, which is where things seemingly started to go south. Odell claims that despite what Nike had promised, the fine print was different and it wasn’t really the same deal. In addition, the way the Nike contract was structured made it nearly impossible for him to trigger very valuable extensions of the deal.

Odell Beckham, Jr.

The lawsuit notes that around March of this year Odell was owed a payment of about $2.6 million, however, without any warning, Nike withheld more than $2 million of the payment. Eventually, Odell was informed that the majority of his payment was cut by Nike because he committed footwear and glove violations when he altered his equipment toward the end of last season – allegations Odell denies.

The father-of-one claims that he had no choice but to personally customize his cleats because Nike failed to give him cleats that matched the colors of his new team. In the legal documents, he also addresses the alleged glove violation, claiming he always customizes the equipment to fit his “high fashion brand” and Nike never had a problem with it in the past.

Odell reportedly feels that Nike manufactured the penalties as a way to pressure him into signing a less lucrative deal with them. Overall, Odell claims the fine print of the deal screwed him out of over $20 million and now he’s suing to recover the funds.

Odell Beckham Jr. and his son

Today (Nov. 15), Odell released an official statement on his lawsuit and issues with Nike.

“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. 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.”

He continued,

“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.”

He added,

“I look forward to resolving this issue and hope we can start a real conversation about protecting athletes and their rights. This happens too often in the sports industry and it’s time for change. As this is now a legal matter, please refer any questions to my attorney, Daniel Davillier.”

Odell Beckham Jr.

What are your thoughts on this entire situation? Do you think Nike and Odell Beckham, Jr. will be able to resolve their issues? Tell us in the comments below!

[VIA]