Kathy Willens/AP
On top of a bevy of fouls and drops, Beckham crossed the line when he appeared to initiate a head-to-head hit with Panthers cornerback Josh Norman.
Now, a recent report says Beckham may have been acting out of self-defense after the Panthers carried baseball bats on the sidelines as a means of intimidating Beckham before the game.
The Giants, who didn't appear to mention any of this after the game on Sunday, have now doubled down on this report, saying that Beckham was physically threatened and called homophobic slurs before the game.
The Panthers, however, are holding firm that this never happened.
First, Panthers cornerback Bene Benwikere said that the Panthers always carry baseball bats before the game, and that it wasn't meant to threaten Beckham.
Come on now my boys carry the bat with them as it symbolizes my presence still being with them at the game and the NFL has a problem???
- Bené Benwikere (@BigPlayBene) December 21, 2015
I carried the bat out the tunnel against Atlanta and my teammates held it during warm ups that game to pic.twitter.com/SQTcIy8mrF
- Bené Benwikere (@BigPlayBene) December 21, 2015
Coaches and players in every sport use objects as symbols of motivation the bat is a symbol pic.twitter.com/kPGvaHQuHK
- Bené Benwikere (@BigPlayBene) December 21, 2015
Panthers said practice-squad S Marcus Ball swinging a bat, no one else. Panthers said bats symbolize home-run plays and "bringing the wood."
- Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 21, 2015
Panthers officials deny strongly any threats or slurs were made and are adamant they have long used a bat as a motivating prop...
- Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 21, 2015
Panthers communications director Steven Drummond said: "absolutely nothing happened on the sideline. I was there. No one was threatened...
- Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 21, 2015