A silver lining for Odell Beckham Jr. in the Cleveland Browns' 27-13 loss to the New England Patriots? He got to pay respect for one of his idols.
That'd be Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who received a pair of goat hair cleats (get it?) from Beckham on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
It appears the feeling is mutual, though -- and also runs in Brady's family. Brady's son, Ben, is a big Beckham fan, and father and son actually waited outside the Browns' locker room to meet OBJ after the game.
According to Brady, Ben became a Beckham fan through his half-brother, Jack (Brady's son with Bridget Moynihan), who lived in New York while Beckham played for the Giants.
"All the kids at school in New York, after he made that (one-handed) catch, it was, 'OBJ, OBJ, OBJ!' " Brady said Monday on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show." "So then my son Benny, from his older brother, got to know who he was."
Beckham had a relatively quiet day Sunday -- five catches for 52 yards -- but the three-time Pro Bowler still has Brady's respect.
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"He's a great player," Brady said, "and I always wish him a lot of success. They're going to keep plugging along there and we're going to keep plugging along here and see how it shakes out at the end of the year."
As for those goat hair cleats? Brady admitted they were a one-of-a-kind gift.
"I have them," Brady said. "Yeah, that was pretty cool. That was very nice of him. It's pretty unique.
"I've never had anyone do that for me, and it was very thoughtful. So, I certainly appreciate it."
We'll file these comments away until Beckham inevitably joins the Patriots to play with his idol.
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