Everyone thought this photographer missed the Odell Beckham catch, but he didn’t

ODELL Beckham’s miracle catch was celebrated all over the world, but it became a personal nightmare for photographer Andrew Mills.

Odell Beckham Jr.

ODELL Beckham’s miracle catch in the NFL on Monday was celebrated all over the world but it became a personal nightmare for photographer Andrew Mills.

Mills, if you missed it on social media, was widely panned for missing one of the most spectacular plays in recent sports history after one angle of Beckham’s catch showed him holding his camera away from his eye.

This picture was widely shared on social media with the caption: This guy used to be a sports photographer

The criticism flowed thick and fast in Mills’ direction, reaching the point where he was left with no other option but to defend himself on a website run by the media organisation he works for.

“I got fired on Twitter last night,” Mills wrote.

“You’ve probably seen the photos of Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham making his ridiculous, one-handed touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys. I’m the photographer in the background marvelling at the catch ... and apparently not shooting.

“A half dozen or so of the best photographers in the business, including my NJ Advance Media colleague, Bill Perlman, captured sequences of what undoubtedly will be considered one of the greatest catches in NFL history.

“And for a couple of the frames, each captured at one-thousandth of a second or so, I’m caught in no-man’s land, looking like the guy speeding along the Garden State Parkway who doesn’t see the trooper until it’s too late.

Hey @MikeGarafolo WHOA, easy there Twitter! I was caught in no-man's land (Too tight!) Here is my frame! #nyg pic.twitter.com/A0faJaLXEq

— Andrew Mills (@AndyMills_NJ) November 24, 2014

“When the first photos of the catch were published, Twitter erupted. Tweets ridiculed me. Other tweets fired me. I was the guy with the best angle on the shot, they said, but paralysed by the moment. One of my network television friends sent me a screen shot.

“It did not look good.

“But the joke was on them: With the camera at my shoulder, I was shooting. And at half-time, I was able to tweet my best frame of the catch. The tide turned.”

Mills admitted he was too close to get the shot he wanted, but explained that he was actually on his way back to the photo work room to file pictures for a live blog when Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw the ball.

“Who knew this would be the most talked-about play in this NFL season? When the ball was snapped, I was thinking I’d grab a few long-range shots of Manning before heading off the field.”

But fate had a different playbook.

“As my boss said to me, ‘Sometimes the meteor hits you’. It sure does.

“I have the best job in the world. I’ve been blessed to cover some incredible events and capture a couple of amazing catches — David Tyree’s Super Bowl grab, an at-the fence grab by Endy Chávez of the Mets, and now Odell Beckham Jr.’s amazing TD.

“Would I like to have been in a different spot? You bet.

“Is it tough being ‘that guy?’ It sure is.

“But you know what? Despite what Twitter thinks, I still have the best job in the world.”

The shot of Beckham’s catch Mills would have liked to take.