News/Commentary

Odell Beckham Jr. kicked off plane; lawyer claims NFL star was victim of ‘overzealous flight attendant’

November 28, 2022 | | Print Article

Star NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made headlines on Sunday after he was kicked off a plane at the Miami airport for allegedly being “in and out of consciousness” and refusing to fasten his seat belt, not the kind of attention that the free agent needs as he looks to cash in on a big contract with a playoff contender.

The flamboyant Beckham, who blew out his knee in the Super Bowl as a member of the world-champion Los Angeles Rams, has bounced around the league with previous stops in New York and Cleveland and has been cleared to resume playing. The 30-year-old Pro Bowler was reportedly set to meet with three prospective teams beginning this week.

Video of the hooded Beckham being escorted by police as he departed the plane went viral on social media with a statement from Miami-Dade Police saying that the flight crew was “concerned” that they are unable to wake him and that they believed that he may have been too ill to withstand the five-hour fight to Los Angeles.

“At approximately 9:30 a.m., officers from the Miami-Dade Police Department, were dispatched to a medical emergency at an American Airlines flight. 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,” police said. The flight crew feared Beckham was seriously ill, and that his condition would worsen throughout the expected 5 hour flight, the attendants called for police and fire rescue.”

(Video: The Daily Mail)

“Upon the officers’ arrival, the flight crew asked Mr. Beckham several times to exit the aircraft, which he refused. The aircraft was deplaned, at which time Mr. Beckham was asked by officers to exit the plane, and did so without incident. Mr. Beckham was escorted to the non-secure area of the terminal by officers where he made other arrangements,” the statement read.

“Never in my life have I experienced what just happened to me… I’ve seen it alll..,” Beckham tweeted on Sunday.

Beckham’s attorney Daniel Davilier released a statement denying police claims that his client was responsible for the hour-and-half delay as a result of the incident, blaming an “overzealous flight attendant” who “wanted to prove” his authority for the confrontation.

“Earlier today, Odell Beckham Jr boarded a morning flight in Miami without any problems,” Davilier’s statement read. “The flight was delayed after boarding and prior to take off. Mr. Beckham fell asleep with his blanket over his head, which is his normal practice for long flights. He was awaken[ed] and told that the plane was back at the gate and that he needed to get off the plane because he did not put his seatbelt on when asked. He responded that he was asleep, and that he would put his seatbelt on at that time. He was informed that it was too late, and that either he would have to get off the plane or everyone would have to deplane.”

Davilier continued: “The overzealous flight attendant insisted on removing everyone from the plane instead of simply allowing Mr. Beckham to fasten his seatbelt and proceed with the flight. At no time was Mr. Beckham disruptive or combative. 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 airline proceeded to send Mr. Beckham’s luggage to Los Angeles without him.”

“That incident was unnecessary,” he said. “If they could wake him up when the flight returned to the gate, then they could have done the same thing to ask him to put on his seatbelt.”

One passenger who was inconvenienced by the incident slammed OBJ on Twitter.

“Forcing us off the plane because you were unresponsive and unruly is not comedy to the hundreds of folks trying to get home dude. Not cool man,” he wrote.

Sources told the NFL Network that Beckham plans to meet with the New York Giants on Thursday and Friday, the team that drafted him in 2014 where he thrilled fans with his acrobatic catches before injuries and his antics led to an ill-fated trade to the Cleveland Browns where, largely due to a lack of chemistry with QB Baker Mayfield, he would not have similar success.

Beckham also plans to meet with the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills – both Super Bowl contenders – but could visit with other teams as well, according to the outlet.

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