New footage shows police escorting NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. off plane at MIA

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Newly-released body camera footage shows the moments police officers escorted popular NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. off a plane at Miami International Airport in November.

The flight crew told officers they were concerned for Beckham’s safety after they attempted to wake him in order for him to fasten his seat belt, according to Miami-Dade police.

The captain had to return the plane back to the gate.

That Sunday morning after Thanksgiving, Beckham said he was sleeping hard, tired from traveling and told the crew he’d been clubbing.

“Do you know how long it was taking him to put his seat belt on all night?” a flight attendant on the American Airlines flight to Los Angeles says to police in the video.

“I mean, you don’t want him to fly,” an officer says in the video. “That’s a decision that you guys are gonna have to make. Unfortunately, it’s not our decision.”

To officers, Beckham downplays the actions that prompted the captain to return to the gate and order him off the plane. He stays seated, learning his actions will force everyone else to deplane.

“We’re gonna have to deplane everybody on this plane and then you’re still gonna get off,” the officer said.

“That’s fine,” Beckham replied.

Beckham watched and was on his phone while everyone around him had to pack up and get off. When one of them said something, he unloaded.

“That s--- don’t mean nothing to me,” Beckham said. “You’re gonna wait 40 minutes and I’ll be on a private plane home with your fat a--.”

In a police powwow in the aisle, officers forecast the finger-pointing and media circus to come.

“It’s on them,” an officer says. “It’s not on us.”

Police finally escorted Beckham off solo, first reporting he seemed sick. His attorney blamed the crew.

It’s not clear how Beckham wound up getting to LA, but all the other passengers did end up re-boarding and got off the ground two hours late.

Beckham himself later tweeted “comedy hr.”

But the body-worn camera footage never did show anyone laughing.


About the Authors:

Glenna Milberg joined Local 10 News in September 1999 to report on South Florida's top stories and community issues. She also serves as co-host on Local 10's public affairs broadcast, "This Week in South Florida."

Chris Gothner joined the Local 10 News team in 2022 as a Digital Journalist.