Odell Beckham Jr. remains a free agent after not being signed during the regular season. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
For a few weeks during the 2022 NFL season, Odell Beckham Jr. was the hottest free agent out there. Then Beckham was involved in a strange incident where he was thrown from a plane.
Details were rare back then. Police claimed Beckham was ill. American Airlines said Beckham refused to wear his seat belt. Beckham’s attorney accused the flight attendant.
Police footage of the incident was released on Wednesday. It gives a glimpse into what happened to Beckham, but still leaves many unanswered questions.
Footage from WPLG Local 10 News in Florida was captured as an officer boarded the plane and asked to speak to Beckham. It then showed footage of a flight attendant saying Beckham refused to put on his seat belt. Officials repeatedly tell Beckham that it wasn’t their decision and that he had to get off the plane.
Beckham then watched as all the other passengers disembarked. A passenger confronted Beckham, who angrily replied, “It means nothing to me.” After the passengers exited the plane, Beckham was escorted by police.
The footage doesn’t show what led to the police being called in the first place.
American Airlines did not allow Beckham to reboard the plane or book a new ticket through the company, according to WPLG Local 10.
The incident happened while Beckham was in the middle of free-agent interviews with NFL teams. The Dallas Cowboys were among the teams interested in Beckham but decided to go in a different direction and signed veteran TY Hilton. The Buffalo Bills were also believed to be interested in Beckham but decided to bring Cole Beasley back.
The Cowboys gave vague answers about medical and financial demands when asked about signing Beckham. He is recovering from a cruciate ligament rupture that caused him to drop out of Super Bowl LVI.
It’s unclear if the plane crash played a role in Beckham not being signed during the regular season.