Police have issued an arrest warrant for former LSU star and current Cleveland Brown, Odell Beckham, after he allegedly slapped a police officer on the butt in the LSU locker room on Monday night.
Video of the incident shows a police officer addressing an LSU player, while Beckham approaches him from behind and apparently slaps him on the butt.
New Orleans police obtained the warrant for Beckham on Thursday morning. According to Nola.com, the police had initially sought a misdemeanor sexual battery charge against the Browns receiver, but that was denied by a judge. The police then changed the charge to simple battery, which was approved.
“Louisiana law defines simple battery more simply as ‘battery committed without the consent of the victim,'” Nola.com reports. “That crime, upon conviction, calls for up to six months in prison and a maximum fine of $1,000. It also expungeable for first-time offenders.”
According to Nola.com:
Thursday’s arrest warrant is only one of two controversies in which he landed after LSU invited him to their sideline and into their locker room when they beat Clemson for the national championship game Monday night at the Superdome.
The other involved a video depicting him giving cash to players on the field after the game concluded.
LSU’s athletic department said it is unclear whether that money was novelty bills that were found on the field or actual, separate cash. University athletic officials said they were working with both the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference over the controversy.
On Wednesday, LSU released a statement admitting that the cash Beckham handed out “may have been real.”
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn