Odell Beckham Jr has claimed that he played the entire 2021 season without an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) before worsening the injury in the Super Bowl victory with the Los Angeles Rams.
Beckham tore his ACL in October 2020, which ended his season with the Cleveland Browns and having surgery to repair it before coming back the following season. But the 30-year-old was then waived by the Browns after falling out with the front office along with publicly criticising then starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, and joined the Rams just days later.
Beckham has now claimed that in his medical examinations before signing with the Rams, he was told that his ACL had never recovered from the surgery. As a result, played the entire season with the Rams with no ACL.
Speaking on a Complex show, Beckham said: "Long story short, I didn't have an ACL like when I tore my ACL, we rehab, rehab and I don't know if something went wrong with surgery, I don't know if something progressed too fast in my rehab but I didn't have it for the season."
Beckham was then asked if Matt Stafford and Sean McVay knew about the injury, after they were both reportedly caught on camera during the Super Bowl saying 'it happened' after Beckham clutched his knee, which ultimately turned out to be a torn ACL.
Beckham said: "When I first signed with the Rams, we did an MRI and it took me like eight hours to sign because they told me I didn't have an ACL.
"They said they needed to let me know of the risk because I was going out there. They said they could redo the surgery, but I had been through way too much to redo surgery and I didn't come to sign to then get surgery.
"I told them that I would die on the sword. So each week is what an ongoing thing, they were saying that they couldn't believe I was doing it. We knew that there was that risk, I wish it didn't happen, but it did."
It's obviously surprising revelation to hear of that he'd be able to play without an ACL, but added to the fact that he put together his best season since 2019 with no ligament in his knee makes it an almost unbelievable story.
After reaggravating the injury, Beckham did not agree terms to resign with the Rams, and remains a free agent this season after not agreeing a contract with the Dallas Cowboys. It remains to be seen if he will play in the 2022 season.
