Odell Beckham Jr. Escorted off American Airlines Flight in Miami
Former New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. found himself in some hot water down in South Beach on Sunday.
The firebrand receiver who was a polarizing figure for the Giants for years for both his gifted athleticism and his controversial behavior was escorted off an American Airlines Flight for refusing to leave the plane when asked. According to reports police said that Beckham was “in and out of conciseness” and refused to leave the plane.
“Beckham’s attorney, Daniel Davillier, disputed that account, saying his client had been sleeping and that the incident was the result of an ‘overzealous flight attendant,'” according to multiple reports.
Davillier later released a statement saying: “At no time was Mr. Beckham disruptive or combative,” Davillier said. “He was willing to comply with the seatbelt requirement, but the flight attendant wanted to prove that he had the authority to have Mr. Beckham removed from the flight.”
The plane was evacuated, and, eventually Beckham left when asked by officers.
A statement from Daniel Davilier — Odell Beckham Jr’s Attorney: pic.twitter.com/2ofpyHGJ5A
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 27, 2022
Beckham later took to Twitter bashing the ordeal, calling it comedy hour.
Never in my life have I experienced what just happened to me… I’ve seen it alll..
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) November 27, 2022
According to ESPN: “American Airlines, which was operating the Miami-to-Los Angeles flight, said in a statement that the plane returned to the gate because of “a customer failing to follow crew member instructions and refusing to fasten their seatbelt.” The flight took off almost two hours after initially scheduled.”
Ironically, Beckham, a free agent, is expected to meet with the Giants this week about a possible return to Big Blue. The Giants (7-4) are lacking in wide receiver depth, and many like running back Saquon Barkley have championed his return.
Beckham is also being pursued heavily by the Dallas Cowboys.
It will be interesting to see if this latest controversy steers the Giants away from Beckham. During his time in New York, Beckham showed flashes of brilliance for his spectacular catches and incredible athleticism. His one-handed catch against Dallas his rookie year proved to be a timeless image in NFL history.
Beckham also had a penchant for controversy. In 2015, he got into an on-field scuffle with then-Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman that wound up taking over the headlines from the game. In 2016, a frustrated Beckham threw his helmet into a kicking net; and in 2017 his imitation of a dog urinating as a touchdown celebration in Philadelphia led to a $12,000 fine. Also in 2016, Beckham reportedly punched a hole in the wall outside the Giants locker room following Big Blue’s loss to Green Bay in the wild card round, this just days after he appeared shirtless in a photo with teammates on a boat.
After a couple seasons in Cleveland, Beckham did win a Super Bowl ring last season with the L.A. Rams, even though he left that Super Bowl game with a ACL tear that cost him not just the second half of the Super Bowl but almost all of this season.
