The NFL free-agent wide receiver initially declined to leave the airplane, multiple outlets report.
MIAMI — NFL free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was removed off a flight at Miami International Airport on Sunday due to health concerns, multiple outlets say.
Beckham was not detained or cited, but he initially refused to get off the airplane, the NFL reports.
The Miami-Dade Police Department said that a member of the flight crew on that plane was concerned for the 30-year-old after they tried to wake him up to fasten his seatbelt, but he appeared to be ill, according to ESPN.
“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 said retrieved by the NFL. “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 was eventually taken off the plane and addressed the situation on his Twitter account.
“Never in my life have I experienced what just happened to me… I’ve seen it all…”, he wrote in a tweet.
According to the NFL, American Airlines released a statement saying the flight was delayed due to Beckham declining to fasten his seatbelt.
Beckham was expected to meet with a few teams this week, including the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs, ahead of a potential signing after recovering from a torn ACL injury he suffered during last season’s Super Bowl, ESPN reports.
