Former New York Giants player still missing 15 months after disappearing
Former New York Giants player still missing 15 months after disappearing
David Schneidman Thu, October 8, 2026 at 9:49 PM UTC
14
Former New York Giants cornerback Sam Beal has been missing since July 2025 -Credit:Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Former New York Giants player Sam Beal is still missing nearly 15 months after disappearing.
Beal, who the Giants selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL supplemental draft, has not been seen since July 2025, after dropping off his girlfriend and borrowing her car to drive to his job, where he never arrived.
After leaving his girlfriend, Beal spoke to her on the phone and said he was driving to Virginia Beach, Virginia, all the way from Michigan, where he grew up in Grand Rapids and had been working in Kentwood.
In total, Beal was presumed to have traveled more than 700 miles to the eastern coast of the United States, where his car was later found without him inside. It comes as Stephen A. Smith interrupted the First Take opening for an emotional four-minute statement.
• Al Michaels contract status as TNF star urged to call it quits
• MLB fans left frustrated after White Sox's secret first pitch stunt backfires
Beal’s shoes, socks, and sandals were left inside the vehicle, and the former NFL cornerback was believed to have only a pair of clothes, slides, and his wallet with him at the time of his disappearance.
In more than a year since, search and rescue efforts have yielded very few answers and Beal’s whereabouts remain unknown.
The Virginia Beach Police Department, working in conjunction with Michigan authorities, has entered Beal into national missing persons databases, and the case remains ongoing.
Advertisement
Beal appeared in nine total games for the Giants between 2019 and 2021 -Credit:Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In Jan. 2026, Beal’s sister Essence Zhane sent out a public plea on social media asking for help in finding any new information on the whereabouts of her brother.
Prior to his disappearance, Beal endured a problematic stretch that included his release from the Giants in December 2021, which brought an end to his four-year NFL career in which he played in nine total games and missed significant time due to a shoulder injury that wiped out his rookie season.
Six months before his release from the Giants, Beal pleaded guilty to gun charges that stemmed from a June 2020 arrest in Ohio, which occurred when a concealed weapon was discovered in his vehicle during a traffic stop.
He was also cited for marijuana possession and a traffic violation and was put on probation through June 2022.
• NFL viewers furious with national anthem performance after waking up early
• Alabama coach admits Donald Trump may impact tactics for college football game
Beal later did a stint in jail from Sept. 2024 to Feb. 2025 for unpaid child support from a previous relationship. According to a witness who spoke to investigators, Beal “seemed a little off” after being released from jail.
The missing persons report included further detail from the witness to authorities, who told them Beal “had made statements such as ‘If I was gone nobody would even care.”
The report continued: “She stated that she specifically remembers one time when there was a tornado in the area and (Beal) stated that he would be fine if that tornado would just swoop him up and take him.”
It comes as an NFL superstar was given another chance to rejuvenate his career immediately after an emotional reunion failed.
Source: “AOL Sports”
