Odell Beckham Jr. dismissed a claim he considered dropping thousands on a baseball bet.
The star Giants receiver, who has been sidelined since Week 5 while recovering from ankle surgery, was linked in a report published Tuesday to a high-stakes sports gambler who alleges Beckham talked of betting $20,000 on a baseball game.
In an in-depth interview with USA Today, 25-year-old Rob Gorodetsky said Beckham floated the idea after the two became acquaintances during a night out at a Las Vegas casino in May.
The NFL does not prohibit gambling on non-NFL sports.
Beckham, in his fourth year with the Giants, denied the allegation to USA Today through his agent, as well as even knowing Gorodetsky.
Gorodetsky apparently has met Beckham, which he documented with a photo of the two of them posted to his Instagram account. Gorodetsky’s story of their encounter goes much further, however, saying he lent Beckham money to play blackjack at the High Limit Lounge after Beckham’s cousin introduced them.
“He said, ‘You know what, I didn’t really bring any money with me.’ These people never do, right?’’ Gorodetsky told USA Today. “He’s like, ‘Let me borrow $10,000, I want to play blackjack. If I lose, I’ll wire you the money tomorrow.’ Blah, blah, blah.
“I give him the money. Next thing you know we’re sitting there [playing blackjack] for four hours. He won a couple of thousand and gave me my money back. Then he’s like, ‘Come to dinner with us.’”
Soon after the newspaper sent a message to Beckham’s agent about the allegation, Gorodetsky passed along a text message of an angry email he said he received from Beckham’s cousin.
“He’s flipping out on me,” Gorodetsky wrote in the text message. “I told them I’m denying it and tracking down to see what’s going on.”
Beckham, 25, has largely been out of the public spotlight since his season-ending injury, though he instigated much on-field controversy during the four games he played in, including backlash for a touchdown celebration in which he mimicked a dog peeing.
Gorodetsky told the newspaper he finds betting common among professional athletes, particularly NBA players.