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The National Football League (NFL) has issued a one-game suspension for New York Giants star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., in addition to a $52,529 fine, after the 23-year-old used excessive force in Sunday鈥檚 game against the Carolina Panthers' Josh Norman.

鈥淎t numerous times during yesterday鈥檚 game against the Carolina Panthers, your actions placed a fellow player 聽鈥� and clearly did not represent the high standards of sportsmanship expected,鈥� NFL vice president of football operations Merton Hanks wrote to Beckham on Monday.聽

The controversy surrounding Beckham鈥檚 on-field conduct and the NFL鈥檚 delayed yet stern response serves to demonstrate the league鈥檚 contradictory image problem. While some emphasize a "boys will be boys" mentality, others criticize the NFL鈥檚 apathy towards violence.

鈥淭he competitive nature of the game is one reason that people love to watch football,鈥� says former NFL player turned media analyst Maurice Jones-Drew. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great that the league is making the game safer and trying to protect players, but that doesn鈥檛 change the fact that these types of when alpha dogs are battling for a victory. It鈥檚 part of the game.鈥澛�

And while Giants head coach Tom Coughlin expressed some disappointment in his player after the game, he and some of Beckham's New York teammates continued to support the wide receiver.聽

鈥淚 will not defend his actions yesterday because they were wrong 鈥� But I will defend the young man, the quality of the person, as long as I am able,鈥� Coughlin told reporters Monday.聽

鈥淣orman moved his head,鈥� said defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. 鈥淥dell didn鈥檛 try to hit him helmet to helmet intentionally.鈥澛�

鈥淗e cried a little bit,鈥� said Giants quarterback Eli Manning, referring to Norman. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think that was really necessary. I think Odell took the high road, and I鈥檓 proud of him for that.鈥�

Even as Beckham becomes the first New York Giant ever to be suspended for on-field conduct, he defended his actions after the game.聽

鈥淲e are out there playing football,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are competing. You are a competitor. . We are always going to go at it.鈥澛�

In light of Sunday's Giants-Panthers game, the NFL once again finds itself fighting the same image problem: many see the sport as dangerous and unregulated.聽

Commissoner Roger聽Goodell has promised fans and players that through various efforts such as moving up the kickoff line and penalizing hits to the head. In 2012, Goodell pledged a $30 million donation from the league to the National Institutes of Health for brain injury research.聽

Many criticized Beckham鈥檚 contact Sunday as unacceptable and excessive, blaming the refs for Beckham鈥檚 escalating violence during the game and arguing that Beckham should have been ejected.

鈥淭he officials let Odell Beckham get away with way too many things early in the game,鈥� former NFL player and coach . 鈥淣ow things are out of hand. Only ejections can help now.鈥� And in response to the NFL鈥檚 appropriate discipline discussion Monday, Dungy tweeted: 鈥淲hat about discipline for the 7 officials who let all that go on by not calling penalties in the first Qtr???鈥澛�

And while some observers say the officials didn鈥檛 do their jobs, others say Coughlin didn鈥檛 do his either. Viewers never saw Coughlin reprimanding Beckham for his behavior after multiple personal fouls.聽

鈥淭he vision of Coughlin鈥檚 counseling Beckham might have shown fans that ,鈥� suggests The New York Times鈥� Richard Sandomir. And leaving the counseling to the Giants鈥� receivers coach Sean Ryan 鈥渟ent the wrong message,鈥� Sandomir adds.

The NFL鈥檚 contact policies will be under even more scrutiny later this month, when Will Smith鈥檚 new movie, "Concussion," is released on Dec. 25.