Odell Beckham Jr. Removed From Plane By Police After Flight Crew Raise Health Concern

Topline

NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. was removed from an American Airlines flight by police on Sunday morning after he allegedly failed to follow instructions from the flight crew members who claimed they were concerned about the state of his health.

Odell Beckham Jr. of the Rams with the Vince Lombarbi Trophy during an NFL game between the Los … [+] Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

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Key Facts

The star wide receiver who is currently a free agent was sitting onboard American Airlines 1128 flight from Miami to Los Angeles when the incident took place.

In an emailed statement that doesn’t name Beckham, American Airlines said the flight returned to the gate before takeoff after a passenger failed to “follow crew member instructions” and refused to fasten their seatbelt.

The Miami-Dade Police department which responded to the incident said the flight crew was concerned about Beckham’s health as he “appeared to be coming in and out of consciousness,” just before the plane’s departure and feared his “condition would worsen through the expected 5 hour flight.”

Beckham allegedly refused to leave the flight when asked to do so by the crew but he eventually exited the plane “without incident” after it was emptied of all passengers and police stepped in.

After the incident, Beckham tweeted; “Never in my life have I experienced what just happened to me.”

Chief Critic

In a statement addressing the incident Beckham’s lawyer Daniel Davilier said the flight was delayed and prior to take off: “Beckham fell asleep with his blanket over his head, which is his normal practice for long flights. He was awaken 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.” The statement adds that Beckham told the attendant he would put his seatbelt on at that time but was informed it was too late. The statement blamed the incident on an “overzealous flight attendant” and added “Sleeping on a plane should not be a cause for removal from a flight.”