The NFL draft is still weeks away and training camps don’t kick off for anther three months. This hasn’t stopped Odell Beckham Jr. and Stephon Gilmore from showing up in mid-season form on Instagram this weekend.
Beckham Jr. got things kicked off on Saturday when he shared a picture on Instagram of himself catching a pass in front of Gilmore. He wrote “It ain’t a moment ’till you make it…” in the caption portion.
As these things happen, Gilmore either saw it himself or had someone else direct his attention towards the photo. Once his eyes hit the image, it didn’t take long for the lanky cornerback to respond with a slightly more direct dig at Beckham Jr.
Using the same caption, Gilmore posted this picture of OBJ dropping a pass down near the goal line in front of his social media rival.
The two of them got into it further on the social media platform with a couple more posts, but then they both quickly deleted them.
Perhaps what was included in the captions department was just a bit too spicy for general consumption, but thankfully the images they used were captured by Mike King (graphic designer used by OBJ and many others):
Odell Beckham Jr. and Stephon Gilmore going at it on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/rJbHm6JbJO
— Mike King (@MikeKing00) April 10, 2016
For anyone wondering how this Instagram spat got so out of control so quickly, there is a history here between these guys.
Back in the beginning of October following the New York Giants’ 24-10 win over the Buffalo Bills, Gilmore took time to criticize Beckham Jr. as a “prima donna” and said playing against him was like “playing your little brother.” He and other Bills defenders also accused OBJ of throwing punches (tape later confirmed their accusations).
Adding further fuel to the budding rivalry is the fact that Beckham Jr. didn’t have one of his signature games against Gilmore and the other Bills cornerbacks, catching five passes for just 38 yards and failing to score.
It’s a shame these two won’t get a chance to prove their manhood against one another again during the regular season in 2016. The Giants and Bills will meet up, however, during the preseason during Week 2 in Buffalo.
Hopefully no punches will be thrown. However, given their history, this might be asking too much of the two playmakers.
(h/t Ryan Talbot of scout.com)