Ex-NFL star Gosder Cherilus breaks silence after being accused of urinating on passenger during Delta flight from Boston to Dublin

Former NFL player Gosder Cherilus broke his silence on Monday after he was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning for disturbing the peace aboard a Delta flight.

Cherilus, 40, allegedly urinated on another passenger and was arrested at Logan Airport after his outrageous behavior caused the flight to Dublin, Ireland, to be diverted to Boston, Massachusetts State Police told DailyMail.com.

The former first-round pick, who appeared in court in East Boston on Monday, apologized for his actions in a brief statement.

Cherilus, who played for the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout his NFL career, claimed his behavior was caused by a sleeping pill he took in preparation for the overnight flight.

“I would like to respond to the media reports about me that emerged today regarding a situation that occurred on board a flight to Ireland last weekend,” Cherilus wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

‘The flight was unexpectedly delayed for approximately four hours and did not depart until after 12:30 p.m. In preparation for the unexpected night flight, I took a sleeping pill that I do not normally take, which resulted in behavior that is not representative of my character, and I would like to apologize to the passengers and crew.’

The Delta crew requested assistance from state police for the flight at 2 a.m. ET on Sunday and decided to divert and return to Boston due to the outrageous behavior of the former offensive tackle.

After the Delta plane landed back at Logan Airport, state police troopers boarded the plane and told Cherilus to get off.

However, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer was uncooperative and initially refused, prompting officers to escort him off the plane and arrest him.

“Upon arrival at Terminal E, State Police Troop F and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) personnel boarded the aircraft and identified the suspect as Gosder Cherilus, 40, of Wakefield,” state police said in a statement to DailyMail.com.

The former first-round pick released a short statement apologizing for his actions

He was arraigned Monday after allegedly urinating on another passenger

‘Troopers verbally ordered Cherilus to exit the aircraft, but he became enraged and uncooperative. Eventually, Troopers escorted Cherilus to the jet bridge and arrested him for disorderly conduct and interfering with a flight crew.’

The other passengers on board the cancelled flight were rebooked on Sunday evening onto a new flight, which landed in the Irish capital around 7:30 a.m. Monday morning, Delta confirmed to DailyMail.com.

“Delta Flight 154 from Boston to Dublin returned to Boston Logan on August 17 due to an unruly customer and was located by police,” a Delta spokesperson said.

“Delta does not tolerate unlawful behavior and will cooperate with law enforcement to achieve that goal. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”

Cherilus last played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring after the 2016 season

The former offensive tackle was selected 17th overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2008 NFL draft after playing football at Boston College.

Cherilus played in 116 of 132 games for the Lions, Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers during his NFL career before retiring after the 2016 season.

The former NFL player is believed to have earned over $40 million on the field during his career, most recently signing a two-year, $7 million contract with Tampa Bay in 2015.

Since hanging up his football boots, Cherilus has pursued a career in real estate and founded his own company: Bastion Companies.