Odell Beckham Jr. denies allegation after being named by Diddy accuser in alleged gang-rape lawsuit
Content Warning: This story contains depictions of sexual assault
Odell Beckham Jr. has denied an allegation that he participated in an alleged gang rape that the accuser claims was initiated by music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Beckham, an NFL wide receiver who last played for the Miami Dolphins, was named alongside others in an amended lawsuit filed by accuser Ashley Parham.
Parham initially filed the lawsuit in the Northern District of California in October. In the lawsuit, Parham alleged that she was drugged and gang-raped by Combs and multiple unnamed defendants in Combs' Bay Area home in 2018.
Per reports, the amended lawsuit names Beckham and comedian Drew Desbordes, also known as Druski, as having participated in the alleged assault. Beckham and Druski have each issued denials of the accusations.
Beckham released a statement on Monday disavowing the "ridiculous claims."
"I have been informed of the allegations about me in a suit in CA," Beckham wrote on social media. "I really can’t even believe that my name is mentioned in that matter. There is absolutely no truth to those allegations. I do not know and have never met the person that filed the suit. I was not anywhere near Orinda, CA at that time. In fact, I don’t think I have ever even been to Orinda, CA.
"I have never done anything like that, and I would never do anything like that to anyone. I’m confident that these ridiculous claims against me will be dismissed.
"-Odell"
Druski previously issued a denial on social media Sunday, calling the accusation a "fabricated lie."
“This allegation is a fabricated lie," Druski wrote. "I wasn’t a public figure in 2018 — I was broke living with my mom without any connections to the entertainment industry at the time of this allegation, so the inclusion of my name is truly outlandish.
"My heart breaks for actual victims of abuse, but I’m fully confident that the evidence will expose this falsehood and the individuals who are maliciously trying to game the legal system to pedal false narratives."
Beckham responded to Druski's post with one of his own, which was published prior to his formal statement.
"Boy I’ll tell u what," Beckham wrote on Sunday. "This world makes absolutely no sense. I am covered by God. He will prevail. I kno who am I , I kno who u are, keep ur head. That name will be cleared. Shxts stupid."
Multiple accusations against Diddy
Combs is the subject of multiple lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and battery. He was arrested in September on federal racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges and remains confined in a New York jail. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Weeks after Combs' arrest, Parham filed her lawsuit. It is not directly connected to the criminal charges that Combs faces. In the 62-page complaint initially filed with Parham identified as Jane Doe, Parham accused Combs of initiating and acting on the alleged gang rape as revenge after she told Combs on a FaceTime call in a previous encounter that she believed he was involved in the death of rapper Tupac Shakur.
What defendants are accused of
The complaint continues with graphic descriptions of the alleged assault that state that Combs threatened her with a knife before he and his co-defendants allegedly carried out a group sexual assault that included penetrating her vaginally with a TV remote and taking turns anally raping her.
Parham accused Combs of forcing an unidentified pill down her throat during the assault that left her in "an almost lifeless state."
The complaint goes on to describe a scene in which Parham states that she escaped through Combs' backyard while wielding a knife. Per the lawsuit, Parham initially informed the Contra County Sheriff's Office about the alleged assault and then told Walnut Creek Police about it weeks later when she visited a hospital, "still in pain and reeling from the horrific assault."
A Contra Costa County Sheriff's spokesman told reporters in February that officers investigated the report on the March 23, 2018 date of the alleged assault and eventually determined that "the claims were unfounded."
"We take these cases seriously, and detectives thoroughly investigated the accusations," he said.
Combs denied the allegations in a statement through his legal team.
"Mr. Combs was nowhere near Orinda, California on the day Ms. Parham claims she was assaulted there, and the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department has already confirmed Ms. Parham’s claims were determined to be unfounded following a thorough investigation," the statement reads.
Parham has since spoken publicly about the alleged assault and recently refiled the amended claim naming Beckham and Druski as defendants.
Neither Combs, Beckham nor Druski face criminal charges in the case.
