Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was removed from a plane at Miami International Airport on Sunday after the flight crew was concerned about his health. Beckham, 30, was “in and out of consciousness” on the plane, according to police, and initially refused to leave. The free-agent star has not played this season as he is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered during Super Bowl LVI in February.
After video of Beckham being escorted off the American Airlines flight to Los Angeles surfaced on social media, the Miami-Dade Police Department confirmed Beckham was removed from the plane. The flight crew was concerned that Beckham was sick when he would not wake up to fasten his seat belt before departure. After first responders arrived, Beckham allegedly refused to leave the plane. All passengers were forced to deplane, reports TMZ. The social media videos show Beckham flanked by police officers as he was led through the gate.
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“The flight crew was concerned for a passenger [Mr. Odell Beckham], as they tried to wake him to fasten his seat belt, he appeared to be coming in and out of consciousness, prior to their departure,” the police statement reads, reports ESPN. “Fearing that Mr. Beckham was seriously ill and that his condition would worsen through the expected 5-hour flight, the attendants called for police and fire rescue. Upon the officers’ arrival, the flight crew asked Mr. Beckham several times to exit the aircraft, which he refused.”
Beckham appears to have referenced the situation on Twitter. “Never in my life have I experienced what just happened to me… I’ve seen it [all],” he wrote in one post Sunday. “I could never make this up,” he added. In another, he posted a laughing emoji, adding “comedy hr.”
In its own statement, American Airlines said the plane needed to go back to the gate because a “customer failing to follow crew member instructions and refusing to fasten their seatbelt.” The flight left nearly two hours after it was scheduled. Beckham made other arrangements to leave Miami, police said. He was not arrested.
Beckham began his career with the New York Giants before he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2019. After disagreements with the Browns, he was released in November 2021. The Los Angeles Rams quickly signed him for a one-year deal and he caught the first touchdown in Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, he tore his ACL during the game and the Rams decided against re-signing him. This week, Beckham was expected to start meeting with potential new teams. The Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers are all reportedly in contention to sign him.
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