The free agent WR was reportedly in and out of consciousness and refused to follow flight crew instructions. He was not detained or cited. | From @ToddBrock24f7
Odell Beckham Jr., the free agent wide receiver being courted by the Dallas Cowboys and several other NFL teams as he looks to find employment after rehabbing an ACL injury, was at the center of an incident at Miami’s airport on Sunday, one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Beckham was reportedly escorted off an American Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles after the flight crew observed him “coming in and out of consciousness” on the aircraft before takeoff. The incident necessitated police interaction and the deplaning of all other passengers.
According to a series of tweets from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Miami-Dade Police were dispatched to the scene in response to “a medical emergency.” The flight crew had reportedly tried to wake Beckham so that he could fasten his seat belt for departure and worried that he was “seriously ill” with a condition that might worsen during the five-hour flight.
The airline confirmed to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports that a customer on Flight 1228 failed to follow crew member instructions and refused to put on a safety belt.
One Twitter user who claims he was a passenger on the flight stated that the plane was taxiing down the runway but then returned to the gate.
Beckham reportedly refused to exit the plane as requested by the crew. Only after officers arrived and the plane was emptied of all other passengers and their luggage did Beckham finally leave the aircraft under escort, doing so “without incident.”
The three-time Pro Bowler was not detained or cited, as per police.
The receiver himself sent out several tweets Sunday morning that hinted at some sort of drama. Though he did not go into detail, Beckham’s messages do suggest he has an alternative perspective on what happened.
Several other tweets, ostensibly from other passengers, began circulating showing Beckham being led away from the gate.
Flight 1228 eventually departed for LAX (without Beckham) roughly 90 minutes after its scheduled takeoff time.
Beckham was expected to visit several teams this week, with an eye toward signing a new contract. The Los Angeles Rams, with whom the 30-year-old won a Super Bowl ring in February, were once thought to be among the teams interested in him. The New York Giants are set to meet with Beckham on Thursday; the Cowboys reportedly scheduled for Dec. 5. The Bills have also been mentioned frequently as a suitor for the eight-year veteran.
More about Beckham’s removal from the flight will no doubt come to light in the days to follow, including whether the incident will have any bearing at all on his signing with an NFL team.
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