Free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has filed a lawsuit against Nike stemming from his final endorsement contract that he had signed with the apparel company. Beckham is alleging that the company owes him more than $20 million related to the endorsement deal.
In May 2017, Nice Kicks reported that Beckham had re-signed with Nike after he exercised a clause that allowed Nike to match an offer that Beckham received from Adidas. Nike's five-year deal was reportedly worth at least $29 million.
According to TMZ Sports, Beckham stated in the suit that the contract "was structured made it nearly impossible for him to trigger very valuable extensions of the deal."
"Throughout our partnership, I have kept my promise and fulfilled my obligations to the brand," Beckham said in a statement. "I am extremely disappointed that I've had to take these measures to ensure Nike fulfills their obligations and promises."
Complex also reports that Beckham said in the lawsuit that Adidas was willing to pay up to $47 million in a endorsement deal for Beckham. An annual salary would've been between $3.2 and $4.2 million.
"Rather than continuing to pay the compensation and guaranteed royalties it is contractually obligated to pay Mr. Beckham, Nike is willfully withholding millions of dollars and inventing excuses not to pay him," the lawsuit says.
Beckham originally signed with Nike in 2014 when he was selected with the No. 12 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.
The star wideout is currently a free agent after tearing his ACL while playing for the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl last season. ESPN reported on Saturday that Beckham is expected to sign with a new team by the end of the month with the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and Giants being among those that he's considering.
