NFL Fines Panthers’ CB Josh Norman $26K

The NFL said Tuesday that former Washington and Philadelphia wide out James Thrash will be the hearing officer for the appeal by the New York Giants receiver.

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera says he’s disappointed in the “assumptions and innuendoes” alleging his players threatened New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and directed homophobic slurs toward him before last weekend’s game, and will take action if someone presents credible evidence it occurred.

“You never want to hurt your team like that, and I have learned throughout my life, always, second man gets caught”, Beckham said Sunday.

Irvin said that opponents may be jealous that Beckham is getting so much attention from the media even though the Giants aren’t winning (although they could win their division).

Beckham’s appeal to overturn the suspension was heard Wednesday during a hearing in NY.

Beckham was flagged for three personal fouls in Carolina’s 38-35 win, including one for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Panthers cornerback Josh Norman, with whom he tangled repeatedly in the game. “He (Norman) just cried a little bit so I didn’t think that was really necessary”, the Giants quarterback said Monday. He insisted reports that some players taunted Beckham with physical threats and homophobic slurs were not true. Beckham later was suspended for a game, pending appeal.

Rivera didn’t say if he had received a league memo, which also stated, “While we realize that teams and individual players may have items they use for motivation or to symbolize a theme that the team has used this season, we ask that you instruct your club personnel and players to leave those items in the locker room”.

Wing had no problem remembering the response Beckham got from the bat-carrying player.

The coach said the baseball bat represents the team having a home run mentality when it comes to making big plays.

Wing and some game officials stepped between the players, and sent the unidentified Panther back to his side of the field.

As for Coughlin’s comments that the Panthers had agitated Beckham, Rivera said he has a lot of respect for the Giants’ longtime coach.

“I’ll talk to him about it”, said Coughlin, declining to go into details.

Wing believes Beckham was shaken by the incident.

Wing said he relayed what happened to some people, whom he did not identify.