Odell Beckham Jr. is suing Nike to the tune of $20 Million after the Beaverton conglomerate failed to pay him in full.
The NFL Wide Receiver claims that Nike withheld millions of dollars from him by suppressing sneaker sales — and claiming breach of terms — that would have resulted in a contract extension.
The lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports shows that the case was filed by Odell Beckham Jr.’s attorney, Daniel Davillier.
After his original Contract with Nike expired in 2017, Beckham claims he considered inking a new deal with adidas who had offered him a “multi-million-dollar deal that represented one of the biggest endorsement contracts of any football player at the time.” Nike exercised its contractual right to match the Three Stripe deal, but OBJ claims that the terms and conditions of the new contract were different, and, therefore not comparable to the adidas offers.
Beckham also claims that the structure of the new Nike deal made it practically impossible for him to secure extensions from the deal.
Beckham’s relationship with Nike began to sour in March this year when Beckham was denied the majority of an expected $2.6 Million payout from Nike. Beckham Jr claims that, without any warning, Nike withheld more than $2 Million of the payment.
It has also been said that Nike reached out to Beckham after this time to claim that the withheld money was because he had committed violations in regard to their contractual footwear and glove conditions when he altered his equipment towards the end of last season.
A pair of Odell’s customized Nike Cleats, made by The Shoe Surgeon.
In rebuttal, Beckham insists that he shouldn’t be held liable for said violations, as he was forced to personally customize his equipment as Nike failed to give him pairs that matched the colors of his new team, the Los Angeles Rams. Beckham also called out Nike for their inconsistent past, claiming that the brand never previously had a problem with his custom gloves, as he regularly tweaks the equipment to fit his “high fashion brand.”
He believes that Nike is “inventing excuses not to pay him” and potentially pressuring him into signing a less lucrative deal with them. Instead, he’s now suing the brand to reclaim what he believes is rightfully his.
You can read OBJ’s official statement below, and as always, stay glued to our official Twitter account for further updates.
Read These
Keep ScrollingServing up your next slice of heat