Odell Beckham Jr. has had a pretty good week.
In addition to getting a contract from the Ravens that grossly exceeded the league-wide market for his services, Beckham got a ruling from a judge that keeps alive his breach of contract claim against Nike.
Via TMZ.com, a judge in Oregon refused the motion to dismiss the lawsuit previously filed by Nike. When the motion was argued in court, Nike also lost a bid to have the courtroom closed, citing the confidentiality of the information at issue in the case.
The preliminary win by Beckham means only that the case will proceed. Nike surely will make additional efforts to secure victory without a trial.
Still, the failure to secure early dismissal means the case will proceed to the discovery phase, which entails the production of documents, sharing of specific information, and questioning of witnesses under oath.
Beckham sued Nike last year for more than $20 million. Beckham alleges in the lawsuit that Nike exercised a right of first refusal to match an offer he had received from Adidas, and that Nike later began withholding payments, citing technical violations of the agreement based on shoes and gloves he wore during games.
Beckham explained when filing the lawsuit that he hopes to set a precedent that will protect other athletes against contractual gamesmanship. In this case, it’s entirely possible that Nike had remorse for matching a deal at a time when Beckham’s popularity was peaking, given that it dipped sharply after he was traded to Cleveland and tore and ACL during the 2020 season, and that it was looking for a way to reduce its financial obligation to a player whose best marketing days were behind him.
