Odell Beckham Jr. Claims He's 'Never Cheated' After He's Hit with 6-Game Suspension for Doping

NEED TO KNOW

• Odell Beckham Jr. revealed he accepted a six-game suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs when he played for the Miami Dolphins last season
• The standout wide receiver claimed on The Pivot Podcast that he "never cheated," and attempted to explain the situation that unfolded
• Beckham Jr. is currently a free agent and has no plans to retire from the NFL at this time

Odell Beckham Jr. is denying he used performance enhancing drugs after accepting a six-game suspension.

The free agent, 32, revealed he was suspended for violating the NFL's performance enhancement drug policy when speaking on the The Pivot podcast on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

During the episode, Beckham Jr. — who played for the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens and, most recently, the Miami Dolphins — said that the positive test occurred when he was with Miami.

The wide receiver told podcast co-hosts Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder that the test he took while on the Dolphins showed unusual testosterone levels.

"I've never ran from no test," he said on the podcast of his years in the NFL, adding, "Never failed a test, not once in my life."

Beckham Jr. said he was offended by the results because he believed that it insulted his character.

"It is a serious thing when you get charged and someone says, 'You failed for PEDs.' I don't take those words lightly," Beckham Jr. said on the podcast. "But it bothers me because knowing deep down inside I never failed — I mean, I've never cheated."

The three-time Pro Bowler said that if he were to ever cheat, he would've been more likely to do so when he was injured to "benefit myself" and potentially speed up the recovery process.

"I've never done something. I'm like, bro, I came back from ACL, shattered ankle, ACL again," he said.

Beckham Jr. joked that he's "not built like that," citing his mom as the person his physique most resembles.

Ultimately, the former LSU Tigers player accepted the six-week punishment with the hopes of playing for a team again soon. However, he admitted that he regrets not taking the suspension last season.

"In hindsight, I should have just taken [the suspension in 2024]," he said. "Had the six games, got punished then, let it blow over."

Beckham Jr., who was released from the Dolphins in December at his request, will begin the suspension this week and is unable to play for a team until Week 12 of the season.

The situation forced Beckham Jr. to take a deeper look at himself as a player and person both on and off the field.

"I stand firm in who I am as a man," he said.

Last month, Beckham Jr. spoke with PEOPLE exclusively at his FRI&NDS party at New York Fashion Week. He opened up about the joy of returning to the city that "made him," referencing the years he spent building a name for himself on the New York Giants.

"New Orleans raised me, but New York made me," said the standout wide receiver, who paved his professional football career with the New York Giants after being selected by the team in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and played with them until 2018.

"It brought me through so many great times, trials, tribulations, adversity, but so many good times," continued the Louisiana native.

He added, "Anytime I come back, it's just a good feeling."

Read the original article on People