While Odell Beckham Jr. prepared for his first training camp with the Browns in late July, the star wide receiver lamented media portraying him as a bad teammate throughout his NFL career.
As Beckham defended his character, he said, "I've never been arrested."
Beckham's boast felt like a jinx a couple of days ago, but it turned out not to be one.
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome police officer whose backside appeared to be slapped on video by Beckham in the Louisiana State University football team's locker room Monday night after it defeated Clemson for the national championship decided not to press charges, and a warrant for Beckham's arrest has been rescinded, the New Orleans Police Department wrote in an email response to the Beacon Journal on Saturday afternoon.
The officer signed an affidavit Friday stating he did not wish to pursue charges, Nola.com first reported early Saturday morning, citing multiple unnamed sources with direct knowledge of the case.
The reversal came after the NOPD obtained an arrest warrant Thursday for Beckham on a charge of misdemeanor simple battery in relation to the incident.
After the national title game, a male officer ordered LSU players to put out celebratory cigars because the Superdome has a no-smoking policy, and he said he felt someone smack his backside as he talked to one of the Tigers, according to the warrant obtained by Nola.com. A video recorded during the locker room celebration points to Beckham delivering the slap.
The officer initially wanted to punch Beckham in retaliation and considered arresting him but did neither, according to the warrant via Nola.com.
After the locker room video went viral online, the officer met with NOPD on Wednesday and said he wanted to press charges, only to change his mind by Friday. Then the police dropped the warrant Saturday.
