Browns' Odell Beckham Jr. felt 'disrespected' by Giants, considered retirement

July 22 (UPI) -- Former New York Giants star and current Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said he felt "disrespected" after the Giants traded him this off-season.

In an interview with GQ published Monday, Beckham admitted that his unhappiness with the Giants almost led to his retirement from the NFL.

"Twenty-four years old. Just off it. To love something so much to a place where it is my everything, and to watch it be tainted, or all kinds of things to be in the middle of it. Like, it hurt me to my soul," Beckham said. "It be like loving someone and putting them on such a level to where life is about them and you love that person through everything.

"Through the good, the bad. And to watch them do something so heinous and vulgar. Something just so, like, almost unforgivable. You still love them, but it's, like, wow."

The Giants selected Beckham in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of LSU. The three-time Pro Bowl receiver became a star in New York before he was traded to the Browns in March.

Beckham criticized Giants general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur for their roles in trading him. Gettleman previously said on multiple occasions that the Giants didn't sign Beckham to a contract extension to trade him. Shurmur said that the deal was a football decision and wasn't personal.

"My initial reaction was not disappointment. ... I felt disrespected. Like, after everything I've done for them," Beckham said. "I felt disrespected, because I felt like I was a main reason at keeping that brand alive. They were getting prime-time games, still, as a 5-and-11 team.

"To be called like that and then be texted by your coach and be like, 'Oh, yeah, I heard the news.' Yeah, you heard the news? It happened because of you. The reason I'm gone is because of you. It was just tough because of the way I initially felt."

The Giants finished with a 5-11 record last season as Beckham missed the last four games of the regular season with a leg injury. In 12 games last season, the wideout recorded 77 catches for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns.