“I cheated myself as a man”: Odell Beckham Jr. opens up on personal struggles and PED suspension fallout

2 hours ago 3

close

Odell Beckham Jr. has shocked NFL fans with a potentially career-defining development, and it is not good.

On Tuesday's episode of The Pivot Podcast, the multiple-time Pro Bowl wide receiver revealed that he had been suspended for six games after failing a drug test during the 2024 season when he was a Miami Dolphin, making him ineligible to play until Week 12.

He expressed remorse for the infraction, saying (from 49:45 in the video below):

march madness logo

“I cheated myself as a man, as a father, as a son, a brother. I cheated myself in ways that were hard to forgive myself for. Whether you're doing things you shouldn't do, you just know, like, I'm cheating myself, but like I've never cheated the system. It's hard for me to come back and play football. I have to come out and deal with it.”

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

He also provided details about the situation:

“While I was in Miami, hearing that you get charged and someone says you failed for PEDs, which - I've been in a program. I'm in a program because I didn't tell them I was in Arizona and I was going to Vegas for one night and now I'm in Vegas, and you want to come take a drug test, and I'm not here and then all of a sudden - it's kind of a crazy thing.”

youtube-cover


Odell Beckham Jr. discusses former Jarvis Landry's influence on career

In the same podcast appearance, Odell Beckham Jr. shared his thoughts on former teammate Jarvis Landry, whom he said "changed my life forever" during their time at LSU (from 10:06):

"He showed me what greatness was. I had plenty of people. We were in the car on the way (with safety) Tyrann Mathieu. He showed me greatness, what we was chasing, a level of, like, you have this talent, but like, I'm talking two steps above that."

He also recalled an epiphany he had while he and Landry were attending a corps meeting (from 12:03):

"I'll never forget (LSU wide receivers coach Adam) Henry, we were sitting in the room. It's like me, Jarvis, thinking about maybe a few other people. I was like, I fear the day that they change the game that I love into a business and not the game that I love."

Beckham would reunite with Landry at the Cleveland Browns in 2019. He was released in the middle of the 2021 season and joined the Los Angeles Rams not long afterward, eventually winning Super Bowl LVI with them.

Why did you not like this content?

  • Clickbait / Misleading
  • Factually Incorrect
  • Hateful or Abusive
  • Baseless Opinion
  • Too Many Ads
  • Other

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

About the author

Andre Castillo

Andre Castillo is an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda who holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Master’s degree in Journalism. He has over seven years of working experience and has also covered MMA with FanSided, wrestling with The Sportster, and automobiles with Hot Cars.

Andre follows the New York Jets and the Washington Commanders, mostly because he likes their colors. His favorite position is tight end, and players like Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce have always drawn Andre's attention when watching a game. Bill Belichick is his favorite coach, and his all-time favorite Super Bowl is the XLII edition, when the underdog New York Giants upset the then-undefeated New England Patriots.

If he can change one moment in NFL history, it will be from the NFC Championship Game in January 2019. In that game, a highly controversial no-call cost the Saints what would have been Drew Brees' second Super Bowl visit, where he would have faced Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Andre is always on the lookout for fresh perspectives in a story and ensures complete factual accuracy by double-checking all information before using it in his articles. He has an innate understanding of how to present information in an efficient and compelling way.

Outside the writing realm, Andre is a professional licensed teacher. His hobbies include watching UFC, MotoGP, playing the piano, and travelling.

Know More

Edited by Andre Castillo

Read Entire Article