Arrest warrant for simple battery issued against Odell Beckham Jr. after Browns WR appeared to slap buttocks of security guard

The New Orleans Police Department has obtained an arrest warrant for Odell Beckham Jr. on a misdemeanor simple battery charge after the Cleveland Browns wide receiver appeared to slap a security guard's buttocks late Monday night following LSU’s victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

New Orleans Police public information officer Aaron Looney confirmed the news of the arrest warrant being issued Thursday morning but added there would be no other statements or materials released at this time.

Beckham was not arrested following the alleged incident.

“We are aware of the incident and have been in touch with Odell and his representatives on the matter,” a Browns spokesperson said Thursday in a statement. “They are cooperating with the proper authorities to appropriately address the situation.”

Beckham, 27, played at LSU and has been in the news for his actions while celebrating LSU’s 42-25 victory against Clemson in the national championship game. The receiver was captured on video apparently handing out cash to multiple LSU players on the field in the moments after the game concluded.

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LSU said it would investigate whether the money Beckham handed out was real. LSU associate athletic director Robert Munson had told reporters Tuesday that “it was a joke” and that “the bills were fake.” Later, quarterback Joe Burrow said in an interview with Pardon My Take that the money was in fact real.

On Wednesday, the University issued a statement that said “apparent cash may have also been given to LSU student-athletes.”

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There is no word yet on what action LSU might take. At this stage, the issue of a potential violation of NCAA rule is in LSU officials’ hands. NCAA rules require the schools to make sure of their athletes’ eligibility to compete, although they can seek NCAA staff interpretations of various situations. In addition, schools are responsible for the actions of what the rules call representatives of their athletics interests – and Beckham almost certainly would fall into that category for LSU.

 So, for now, LSU has the task of investigating the incident, determining what happened, whether that constitutes an NCAA rules violation and whether that should impact the eligibility of any athletes who intends to keep playing in college.

LSU would be responsible, as needed, to declare athletes ineligible and then submit a reinstatement request to the NCAA national office staff. NCAA policy states: “The institution is responsible for developing complete, accurate and thorough information prior to submitting a reinstatement request.”

According to the NCAA website’s page on athlete reinstatement: “During the reinstatement process, specially trained NCAA staff members review each case on its own merits and facts. The staff members then provide an initial decision based on several factors including nature and seriousness of violation; any impermissible benefits received by the student-athlete; the student-athlete’s level of responsibility; mitigating factors presented by the institution; applicable guidelines; and relevant case precedent. … The reinstatement decision results in one of three possible outcomes: reinstated, reinstated with conditions or not reinstated.”

 If the school disagrees with the ruling, it would have to appeal to the NCAA Division I Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement for “restoration of the student’s eligibility, provided the institution concludes that the circumstances warrant restoration of eligibility.”

Beckham, a six-year veteran in the NFL, just completed his first season in Cleveland and caught 74 passes for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns.

Contributing: Steve Berkowitz.