Throughout his career, Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has built a certain reputation for himself. He has proven to be one of the most reliable receivers for quarterback Eli Manning; during his rookie season alone, Beckham Jr. had 91 receptions for 12 touchdowns, which made for a very impressive first year.

However, he has repeatedly displayed his strong passion in his words and actions, creating a sharp division in his likability. While some believe that his intense emotion simply displays his dedication to the game and his team, others believe that Beckham Jr. should stop acting immature and keep himself composed.

One of the earliest pivotal moments in Odell Beckham Jr.’s career was in December 2015, when the New York Giants played the league’s hottest team, the Carolina Panthers. As one of the best receivers in the NFL, Beckham Jr. was guarded by top cornerback Josh Norman. During the game, the two Pro-Bowlers went head to head as both players not only taunted each other, but also drew personal fouls for unnecessary roughness. Sports Illustrated referred to this matchup as a wrestling match rather than a football game.

In the aftermath of the game and all of its events, Norman was fined $26,000 for his unsportsmanlike actions. However, Beckham Jr. was suspended for one game, causing plenty of controversy as to whether this was too harsh of a punishment. Beckham Jr. responded by appealing the suspension, but his appeal was denied and the suspension took place.

Among New York Giants fans, there was some confusion as they felt it was unfair that Beckham Jr. was suspended while Norman only received a fine. However, fans of others teams felt the outcome was justified.

Pittsburgh Steelers fan Shaila Saifee 18’ explains how she felt about the punishments: “I definitely agreed with the result of that game. I’ll admit that Norman was a little out of line, but compared to Odell?” Shaila points out that “Beckham deserved a harsher punishment because he was so much more outrageous in the game. There was one point at which Beckham, after a play, ran full speed into Norman’s head. That could have resulted in a career-ending injury.” This game caused much debate throughout later weeks and it was the first, though certainly not the last, time that Beckham Jr. was in the headlines.

More recently, there’s an investigation into whether Odell Beckham Jr. punched a hole in a wall at Lambeau Field following a season-ending loss.

On January 8, 2017, the Green Bay Packers hosted the New York Giants in the NFC Wild Card game and, in the end, the Packers dominated the Giants, 38-13. During this game, Beckham Jr. was held to 28 yards on 4 catches, an extremely disappointing outing for one of the team’s best receivers. Throughout the game, Beckham Jr. dropped several key passes, fueling his frustration and anger that he allegedly would soon take out on the very unfortunate Packers’ locker room wall. Following the post game, it was reported that an emotional Beckham Jr. was heard throwing a tantrum and loudly swearing.

This season was Beckham Jr’s first playoff run and many sympathetic fans are understanding of his heartbreak following the embarrassing loss. One of these fans is Giants fan Austin Zhao who believes “Odell is just a passionate player. You cannot blame the guy for having passion and loving what he does. He did not play like himself, and was understandably frustrated.” Austin also clarified that he wasn’t condoning Beckham Jr.’s actions, but rather, he was “understanding and accepting” them.

There are numerous theories on why Beckham Jr. performed poorly in the critical Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers. The most prominent one is the fact that Beckham Jr., along with Giants receivers Victor Cruz, Sterling Shepard, and Roger Lewis, were seen partying on a boat along the coast of Miami. This incident caused the media and the public to question Beckham Jr.’s reasons for doing this ahead of a playoff game. Some began to think of Beckham Jr. as a distraction, and there was even brief talk from certain fans about trading the much-maligned star wide receiver. While trading Odell would be a complete overreaction to these controversies, it is undeniable that Beckham Jr. has room for improvement in both the way he handles his emotions and conducts himself off the field.

Few NFL wide receivers, if any, have the raw talent Odell Beckham does. Whether it is making jaw-dropping one-handed catches, or blazing by entire defenses for long touchdowns, Beckham’s play speaks for itself. He may be the most electric player in the NFL right now. What will likely be the deciding factor, however, in whether Beckham eventually goes down as one of the all time greats is whether he can effectively harness his strong emotions. It is likely that even though Beckham has faced numerous fines and a suspension for his actions, his passion for the game will continue to be a double-edged sword, and will cause future controversies.

Beckham, under the bright lights of the New York sports stage, will forever be heavily scrutinized. Under that scrutiny, he has to shine.