Odell Beckham Jr. begins his three-city free agency tour on Thursday with a visit to his former team, the New York Giants, ahead of expected meetings with the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys.
Beckham, who has remained a free agent since suffering a knee injury while winning a Super Bowl with the Rams in February, has been cleared to return to the field, which is why he’s only now meeting with teams 13 weeks into the NFL season. The Giants have confirmed Thursday’s meeting to DailyMail.com.
The tour also comes after the 30-year-old was kicked off a Los Angeles-bound flight from Miami after officials said he failed to respond to requests to buckle his seatbelt and appeared to be unconscious.
Police were called by concerned flight attendants on Sunday after Odell Beckham Jr was reportedly ‘coming in and out of consciousness’
Beckham, pictured at the NBA game between the Washington Wizards and the Miami Heat, has been expected to soon sign for a new team for the remainder of the season
American Airlines representative Alfredo Garduno confirmed that flight 1228 to Los Angeles returned to the gate before takeoff ‘due to a customer failing to follow crew members’ instructions and refusing to fasten their seat belt.’
In Beckham’s defense, his attorney Daniel Davilier released a statement saying the Super Bowl champion was the victim of an ‘overzealous flight attendant‘ who ‘wanted to prove’ his authority.
Beckham is expected to talk with coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. Team surgeons also are expected to examine his left knee.
Beckham has torn the ACL in the knee twice. The last time was in the Super Bowl in February while playing for the champion Los Angles Rams. He has been rehabbing the knee all season and is now looking for a job.
The Giants (7-4) have a major hole at wide receiver with veteran Sterling Shepard and rookie Wan’Dale Robinson out with ACL injuries. Kenny Golladay also has not lived up to the big free-agent contract New York gave him last year and 2021 first-round pick Kadarius Toney was traded to Kansas City.
Shepard, who played with Beckham on the Giants for a couple of seasons, believes his buddy’s knee is fine. He added the injury was far less serious than the ACL injury that limited Giants running back Saquon Barkley for nearly two years.
‘I have no doubt in my mind that he will be able to come back and be the same player that he has always been,’ Shepard said of Beckham. ‘This obviously may be a little different but he is very talented, a generational talent. I believe he will come back and be full go.’
Beckham, who had 48 catches for 593 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games with the Rams, is expected to visit the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys over the next week. He’s caught 56 touchdowns in his NFL career.
Despite his recent Super Bowl win, Beckham had his greatest individual success with New York. He was the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year and played for the Giants through 2018 before being traded to the Cleveland Browns. The deal came less than a year after the LSU product signed a $90 million extension with New York.
He also made his most iconic catch with the Giants: a falling, one-handed touchdown catch against the Cowboys in 2014.
Beckham tore his ACL in both the 2020 and ’21 seasons. He also missed the majority of the 2017 season after breaking an ankle in early October.
Beckham injured his knee in the Super Bowl against Cincinnati Bengals back in February – his LA team won 23-20 but he has not played in the NFL since
Despite his recent Super Bowl win, Beckham had his greatest individual success with New York. He was the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year and played for the Giants through 2018 before being traded to the Cleveland Browns. The deal came less than a year after the LSU product signed a $90 million extension with New York. He also made his most iconic catch with the Giants: a falling, one-handed touchdown catch against the Cowboys in 2014
Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey coached Beckham at LSU.
‘He was obviously a dynamic player there from his freshman year all the way up until he left,’ McGaughey said. ‘It was fun to watch him grow, as a young man, as a 17-year old freshman and leaving to become a first-round draft pick and watching him his first few years in the league. He was fun to coach and a super, super talented guy.’
Of course, Beckham comes with a reputation for causing distractions, particularly after his recent clash with American Airlines.
Miami International Airport officials said he was unresponsive to crew members last week when he was asked to put on his seatbelt.
‘Fearing that Mr. Beckham was seriously ill, and that his condition would worsen through the expected 5 hour flight, (flight crew members) called for police and fire rescue,’ Miami Dade Police Officer Luis Sierra said in a statement following the 9:30 a.m. Sunday incident.
‘As they tried to wake [Beckham] to fasten his seat belt, he appeared to be coming in and out of consciousness,’ the statement said.
He was filmed being escorted off the plane by passengers – many were upset for the delayed flight on the busiest weekend of the year
Davilier released a statement disputing police claims that his client was at fault for the hour-and-half delay that resulted from the confrontation.
‘Earlier today, Odell Beckham Jr boarded a morning flight in Miami without any problems,’ the 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.
‘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.’
Davilier went on to say the ‘incident was unnecessary.’
‘Sleeping on a plane should not be a cause for removal from a flight,’ 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.’
Odell Beckham Jr did not deserve to be kicked off a Los Angeles-bound flight from Miami on Sunday morning, but was instead the victim of an ‘overzealous flight attendance’ who ‘wanted to prove’ his authority, according to the NFL free agent’s attorney. Beckham was removed from the flight at the Miami airport after allegedly refusing to put his seatbelt as the plane was about to depart, according to police. However, Beckham’s attorney Daniel Davilier, has released a statement disputing police claims that his client was at fault for the hour-and-half delay that resulted from the confrontation
Carlos Gauna, a passenger in business class, said he recognized Beckham before boarding the flight and later used his cellphone camera to record him walking through the airport terminal with police. He said Beckham had been seated in first class.
‘He just walked quietly. Police escorted him out,’ Gauna said, adding that the flight was full and he heard ‘grumblings’ among other passengers.
Gauna, a filmmaker, was returning home to Camarillo, California, near Los Angeles, after more than two weeks documenting sharks in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil.
He said the aircraft was taxiing toward takeoff when the captain announced ‘a situation with a passenger’ required a return to the terminal. Gauna said an ambulance arrived and paramedics boarded the aircraft and spoke with Beckham before police removed him.
The other passengers re-boarded and the flight departed later for Los Angeles, where Gauna spoke with The Associated Press
A Twitter post attributed to Beckham appeared to refer to the incident, saying, ‘Never in my life have I experienced what just happened to me,’ and adding with a misspelling that he had ‘seen it all.’
Police said Beckham ‘was escorted to the non-secure area of the terminal by the officers where he made other arrangements.’
Sierra did not immediately respond to questions about whether Beckham had been arrested or was cited for a criminal offense.
Beckham Jr starred at the New York Giants and has been linked with a return to the team
Beckham is a three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who has been a free agent since helping the Los Angeles Rams win the Super Bowl last February. He caught a touchdown pass before tearing a knee ligament in that 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Beckham has been reported to be near a return to the league and the Dallas Cowboys have said they want to sign him.
‘Really haven’t been involved with in the conversation,’ Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said, when asked about the latest Beckham situation.
‘But I know personally based off of my understanding, I think we’re moving full steam ahead.’