Has Kim Kardashian finally found love in boyfriend Odell Beckham Jr.? Can the Baltimore Ravens star ditch his off-the-field antics to win another Super Bowl? And has the NFL stumbled upon its next power couple after the Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift saga of 2023?
No, these aren’t consequential issues facing the American public. But still, millions will inevitably follow what promises to dominate tabloid and sports page headlines until they break up or get married, whichever gets more clicks.
After all, Beckham is easily among the most polarizing figures in America’s most popular sport.
Take 2017 in Philadelphia, when he celebrated a touchdown for the New York Giants by pretending to be a urinating canine in the Eagles’ end zone. The gesture was undeniably vulgar, but it ignited further uproar when Beckham revealed it was directed at Donald Trump for using ‘son of a b****’ to describe players kneeling in protest during the anthem.
Beckham received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the time and was later fined $12,154 by the league, not to mention the criticism he received on sports talk and political radio. But for all of the controversy, Beckham only regretted the 15-yard penalty (‘that’s really it,’ he said at the time), and his loyal fans seem to embrace his rebellious streak.
And there’s an intriguing epilogue to the story: Beckham and fellow LSU alum Joe Burrow approached Trump at a UFC event in April of 2023 and appeared to have a friendly exchange with the equally polarizing former President.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Kardashian-Beckham romance, you’re not completely oblivious. The couple has apparently been keeping things quiet, which makes sense seeing as they both have children to consider: Kardashian has four with her ex, Kanye West, while Beckham has a son with his former partner, Lauren Wood.
Kardashian, 43, and Beckham, 31, have been dating for five months, according to USWeekly, which explains the secrecy around their relationship by writing that he is ‘much more private’ than the famously public reality television star.
Beckham, who was rumored to be dating Kim’s sister Khloe in 2016, has been seen with the eldest Kardashian sister at a number of public gatherings (Super Bowl LVIII, Jay-Z’s pre-Grammy party, etc.) but the extent of their relationship remains unclear.
And as was the case with Swifties and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Kelce, there is a growing curiosity by Kardashian’s fan base about Beckham, a generational talent who won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams two years ago and has earned nearly $100 million in NFL salary.
Since then, Beckham has battled a career-threatening knee injury, signed in Baltimore, and was booted off an airplane in just one of several off-the-field incidents that have come to define his career.
Beckham is hardly the only NFL connection for Kardashian, who previously dated running back Reggie Bush and wide receiver Miles Austin,
More famously, Kardashian’s late father, Robert, was a close friend and attorney for controversial NFL legend OJ Simpson. Meanwhile, her mother, Kris, was a close confidant of Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, who was found stabbed to death in 1994 along with waiter Ronald Goldman.
And although Simpson was found not guilty at the double murder trial in Los Angeles, Kris claimed in 2015 that Nicole previously confided that the Hall of Famer was ‘going to kill’ her and ‘get away with it.’
By contrast, Beckham’s upbringing was far more conventional, although nearly as noteworthy.
The New Orleans native was blessed to have two athletic parents: A father, Odell Sr., who played running back at LSU and a mother, Heather Van Norman, who was a track star for the Tigers and nearly made the US Olympic team before giving birth to the future NFL star.
Van Norman would later marry another sprinter, Olympic gold medalist Derek Mills, with whom she shares a child: Odell’s half-sister, Jasmyne Mills.
In addition to his football-obsessed father, both Van Norman and Mills worked as track coaches, which would provide the basis for young Odell’s budding athletic career. (Beckham famously gets critiqued on his running form by both his mother and stepfather)
Attending the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans – the same institution that produced Beckham’s future teammate Eli Manning – the lightening-fast talent excelled at basketball, track, football and even soccer.
In fact, he was offered a chance to try out for the national junior soccer program, but balked on the opportunity because he didn’t want the requisite international travel to interfere with his other athletic pursuits.
Ultimately Beckham settled on football and followed in his parents’ footsteps to LSU, where he became a First Team All-American in 2013.
The following spring, the New York Giants made Beckham the 12th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Other receivers, such as Texas A&M product Mike Evans and Clemson’s Sammy Watkins, got more attention heading into their rookie seasons in Tampa and Buffalo, respectively. But Beckham would ultimately win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year thanks to 91 catches on the season.
One grab in particular – a touchdown reception against the rival Dallas Cowboys – was described by NBC commentator and retired NFL receiver Cris Collinsworth as ‘maybe the greatest catch I’ve ever seen in my life.’
The backwards-falling Beckham managed to haul in the pass from Manning with one hand while absorbing contact from Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr, who was flagged for pass interference on the play.
The Giants declined the penalty and Beckham quickly became an overnight sensation.
He would make three consecutive Pro Bowl teams from 2014 to 2016, occasionally running afoul of Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, who famously detested the kinds of distractions that seemed to follow Beckham.
In 2015, he got into a fight against Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman, and the following season, a frustrated Beckham was seen slamming his helmet into the kicker’s practice net, which came tumbling down onto him.
But it wasn’t until 2016 that Beckham caused a national controversy by making a late-season trip to Miami before a wildcard matchup with the Green Bay Packers – a scene that was crystalized in a viral photo of shirtless Giants receivers relaxing aboard a yacht along the Florida coast.
Amid fans’ concerns that Beckham and his teammates were unfocused, the Giants suffered a 38-13 loss to the Packers. Exacerbating matters for Beckham was the fact that he caught only 4 of 11 passes thrown his way for just 28 yards.
Afterwards, a frustrated Beckham reportedly punched a hole in the locker room wall.
‘There’s no excuses,’ Giants receiver Sterling Shepard told the 2nd Wind podcast in January. ‘It was what it was; we didn’t play good. And we knew we were gonna catch heat for that. And we did.’
A year later, Beckham found himself in another scandal when footage of him and Parisian model Laura Cuenca went viral, showing the two sitting around a suspicious white substance.
However, Beckham was never directly accused of using cocaine by any witness, and Cuenca later told the New York Daily News that the receiver wasn’t taking drugs in her presence.
Regardless, Beckham was traded to Cleveland following the 2018 season for star safety Jabrill Peppers, offensive guard Kevin Zeitler, and the Browns’ first- and third-round picks in the 2019 NFL draft.
From there, Beckham’s antics began to rankle more and more fans.
First he wore a $190,000 Richard Mille watch in his 2019 debut with the Browns. And later that month, he got into another on-field fight – this time with Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey.
By Week 16 of his first season in Cleveland, Beckham was seen throwing his helmet and arguing with then-Browns coach Freddie Kitchens on the sideline.
Things didn’t get any better in 2020.
Most notably, Beckham began the year by drawing the ire of LSU and the NCAA when he was seen paying Tigers players in celebration of their national title win over Clemson. He was also recorded slapping a male police officer’s backside during the post-game celebration.
Beckham was subsequently banned by his former school for two years, during which he was forced to remain away from the program entirely.
The 2020 season didn’t offer any relief for Beckham who suffered his first ACL tear in Week 7 and subsequently missed the remainder of the season.
And even when he returned in 2021, Beckham was right back in the hot seat after his father posted a video online showing Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield ignoring a wide-open Odell Jr. over a series of plays.
Odell Sr. used the hashtag ‘#FreeOBJ’ on the post and ultimately got his wish. Unable to trade Beckham before that season’s deadline, the Browns released him in November and he subsequently signed with the Rams.
The move would help Beckham become a Super Bowl champion.
Alongside breakout receiver Cooper Cupp and quarterback Matthew Stafford, Beckham and the Rams stormed into Super Bowl LVI, where he caught a crucial touchdown pass and later suffered his second ACL tear en route to a win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Although Beckham flirted with an NFL return throughout the 2022 campaign, his mid-season free-agency tour proved fruitless as he failed to recover by season’s end.
Worst of all, Beckham caused a major airline incident in November of that year when he was asked to exit the plane at the gate, only to allegedly refuse, resulting in the entire aircraft being forced to deboard.
Police footage released in January of 2023 shows Beckham belligerently cursing at passengers aboard a taxiing American Airlines flight at Miami International Airport and refusing to leave the aircraft after allegedly telling the flight crew that he was recovering from a night at the club.
The plane’s crew also told officers that he removed his pants at his seat prior to take-off.
‘They said he took off his pants,’ an officer is heard saying on the police body cam. ‘He was in underwear. He told the [flight attendant] that he’s been clubbing all night. He’s either drunk, or both: pills and drunk.’
Beckham was removed from the flight after allegedly refusing to put his seatbelt as the plane was about to depart, according to Miami police. However, Beckham’s attorney Daniel Davilier, released a statement in November of 2022 disputing police claims that his client was at fault for the hour-and-half delay that resulted in the entire plane being forced to deboard.
The police footage from aboard the aircraft shows a drowsy Beckham arguing with fellow passengers who were upset to deplane over his refusal to return to the terminal.
‘Shut the f*** up’ Beckham yelled at one man seated behind him after being told to ‘just get off the plane.’
Another passenger soon became the focus of Beckham’s wrath.
‘You can look at me all you want,’ Beckham said to the passenger. ‘This s*** don’t bother me.
‘I would never, ever in my life, get off the plane for you – specifically you,’ Beckham continued. ‘Maybe for everyone else, I would get off the plane.
‘You gonna wait 40 minutes, and I’m going to be on a private plane home, with your fat ass. Get your ass off the plane.
‘Enjoy the cheese board on the way home with your ugly ass.’
In a departure from his exchanges with fellow passengers, Beckham was respectful with officers, shaking their hands and expressing his frustration in a low, raspy tone.
For that matter, both police and EMTs were respectful towards Beckham as they tried to determine if he was having any health issues.
‘What we’re going to do is just check your blood pressure… and your blood sugar,’ an EMT said. ‘Sorry you’re having a bad day.’
At one point an officer checked with his colleague to make sure his body camera was operating: ‘Is your camera on? Because this is going to be a media circus. They’re all going to want to know what really happened.’
Beckham’s identify as an NFL star surfaces throughout the footage.
‘He’s Odell Beckham,’ said one officer.
‘Oh my God!’ fire rescue crew member exclaimed on the jetway. ‘Can I get his signature?’
Afterwards, Beckham tweeted: ‘Never in my life have I experienced what just happened to me… I’ve seen it alll..’
Instead of airplanes and viral videos, Beckham has faced more football-related problems in 2023.
His arrival in Baltimore alongside former MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson was widely celebrated, but instead of returning to his All-Pro form, he appeared to be weathered by age and injury.
Baltimore still had success in 2023 as the Ravens reached the AFC Championship and Jackson won his second MVP, but he did it largely without the help of Beckham, who managed only 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns.
Now, with the Ravens already over the cap heading into the off-season, the soon-to-be free agent Beckham might need to re-sign for cheap if he wants to stay in Baltimore. And with a limited number of chances remaining to win another Super Bowl, Beckham has every reason to stick with a competitive team like Baltimore.
‘I absolutely love this place,’ he told reporters of the Ravens organization after the season.
Baltimore’s ability to create salary cap space may ultimately decide Beckham’s fate. But if the Ravens, or any other team, can make room for the former All-Pro, they could end up drawing Kardashian fans, free of charge.
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