Odell Beckham Jr has claimed that he played the entire 2021 season without an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his knee, an injury that has kept him out of action for more than a year.
Beckham Jr did not play in the 2022 season after suffering a second career ACL tear in the Super Bowl victory with the Los Angeles Rams - only aggravating the injury.
The 30-year-old first tore his ACL in October 2020, an injury which ended his season with the Cleveland Browns and having surgery to repair it before coming back the following season.
After a poor start to the year and criticising then quarterback Baker Mayfield, the wide receiver was released from the team, before joining the Rams.
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, and had rejected an operation in order to play for the team - helping them win the Super Bowl.
He signed with the Baltimore Ravens this week, and revealed: "That whole season, I was playing without an ACL.
"It was a crazy thing. I signed with the L.A. Rams, and I remember [team physician Dr Neal] ElAttrache comes down there and he's like, 'I've just got to inform you that you don't have an ACL. You know, we can redo your surgery right now.'' And this was Week 9 of the season.
"I just told him, I was like, ''I've been through way too much to come here and sign. There was way too much talk on my name. You know, the past year, like I came here to win a championship,'' Beckham further said. 'And I told him I'd die on the sword."
Beckham played some of his best football in years when with the Rams, after struggling and looking a shell of his former self when with the Browns in previous years.
But his reaggravation of the injury saw him miss the entire 2022 year, although he did have offers to play, after meeting the Dallas Cowboys and coming very close to signing.
After reaggravating the injury, Beckham did not agree terms to resign with the Rams, and had remained a free agent after not playing last season, before signing a one-year, $18 million deal with the Ravens, where he will hope to play alongside Lamar Jackson.
Beckham did touch on whether he was told Jackson, who has handed in a trade request will be back with the team. He said: "The goal was to come here and have that possibility to play with him,' Beckham said. 'I didn't get any assurances for anything. Life's uncertain.
"I think we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, the next day. We only know what's happened in the past."
