The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) has a warrant of arrest for Odell Beckham Jr. following a tense confrontation with a security officer of the Mercedes Benz Superdome on Monday. The NFL star was in attendance during the postgame celebration of the Louisiana State University, which won the national championship on the same day.
The Cleveland Brown wide receiver is wanted by the police over a simple battery charge, which alleged that Beckham hit a Superdome security guard from behind. A video of the incident circulated online and showed that the former LSU player slapped the buttocks of the guard.
According to Bleacher Report, supporting court records of the arrest warrant indicated that the same guard restrained himself and did not react with violence, which likely prevented the incident from escalating.
The records also showed the NOPD had originally applied for a warrant charging Beckham with sexual battery, but the court disapproved. Had the sexual battery charge was granted, it will be a blot on Beckham that cannot be legally removed.
In any case, the player now has to deal with a court case that could potentially put him behind bars for up to six months, should it prosper. Beckham also faces a fine of $1000.
The Browns, Beckham's current team, issued a statement and confirmed that Beckham and his lawyer are "cooperating with the proper authorities to appropriately address the situation."
"We are aware of the incident and have been in touch with Odell and his representatives on the matter," the NFL team said.
And it seemed that the player's legal trouble would only get more complicated as another video surfaced and showed him giving out cash to members of the LSU team. According to CNBC, LSU officials were made aware of the clip and initially claimed Beckham was distributing fake dollar bills.
However, the school took back the first claim and eventually confirmed that, indeed Beckham was holding real money.
Such antics by Beckham, committed on the same day, could potentially put the LSU team in hot water as the NCAA specifically forbids college players from accepting money prior to turning professional, said the same report.
In an official statement, LSU explained that school officials were made aware of the situation and were initially informed that Beckham was handing out "novelty bill," which turned out to be real following a close review of the video.
"We were in contact with the NCAA and the SEC immediately upon learning of this situation in which some of our student-athletes may have been placed in a compromising position," said the statement.
