Ex-NFL player Gosder Cherilus arrested after allegedly urinating on person during Delta flight

A former NFL lineman was arrested after he allegedly urinated on another passenger during their Boston-to-Dublin flight, forcing the plane’s return to Logan International Airport, officials said Monday.

Former Detroit Lions offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus, a 40-year-old resident of Wakefield, Massachusetts, appeared Monday at East Boston District Court where he pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct, disturbing a flight crew and resisting arrest.

Delta Flight 154 had left Logan at 12:12 a.m. EDT on Sunday, more than 3 1/2 hours late, before it doubled back and landed back in Boston at 2:33 a.m., according to airline data published on FlightAware.

Delta had called for help with “an unruly passenger who urinated on another passenger on board,” Massachusetts State Police said in a statement to NBC News on Monday.

When Flight 154 pulled into Terminal E, state police and Customers and Border Patrol agents boarded and confronted Cherilus, the MSP said.

“Troopers verbally commanded Cherilus to leave the plane, but he became irate and uncooperative,” according to MSP. “Eventually, Troopers escorted Cherilus to the jet bridge and placed him under arrest for Disorderly Conduct and Disturbing a Flight Crew.”

He did not answer reporters’ questions outside court on Monday. But in a social media posting, Cherilus appeared to blame his erratic behavior on a bad reaction to sleep meds.

“The flight was unexpectedly delayed for approximately four hours,” he wrote. “In preparation for the expected overnight flight, I took a sleeping medication that I don’t normally use, which resulted in behavior that is not representative of my character, and I would like to apologize fo the passengers and flight crew.”

Cherilus played in nine NFL seasons, five with the Detroit Lions, two years with the Indianapolis Colts and two more with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played in 132 games, 116 of them starts.

At Boston College, Cherilus was second team all-Atlantic Coast Conference pick in 2007, as the blind side protector of QB and conference player of the year Matt Ryan, who went on to a 15-season-long NFL career.