Gosder Cherilus

A Massachusetts real estate developer and former NFL lineman pled not guilty in East Boston District Court after allegedly urinating on a passenger during an overseas flight that was diverted back to Boston.

Gosder Cherilus faces charges of disorderly conduct, interfering with an aircraft’s operation and disorderly conduct. He declined comment to reporters following the arraignment.

In a post on social media platform X, Cherilus apologized for the incident and said he took a sleeping medication before the delayed flight “which resulted in behavior that is not representative of my character.”

A Somerville native, Cherilus played at Somerville High School and Boston College before being drafted by the Detroit Lions with the 17th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

NBC 10 Boston, citing information provided at the arraignment, said Cherilus allegedly became disruptive after objecting to his seating arrangement on the Delta Airlines Boston-to-Dublin flight Sunday morning. The incident prompted pilots to divert the flight back to Logan International Airport.

Cherilus declined to comment to reporters following the arraignment.

A native of Haiti, Cherilus played football at Somerville High School and Boston College before being selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He retired in 2017.

Cherilus joined Stoneham-based Eagle Development as managing partner in 2010 and founded Wakefield-based development company Bastion Cos. in 2019. Along with former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, he is among the ownership team of the Primitiv cannabis dispensary that opened last year in Boston.

His charitable foundation was active in relief efforts following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, sending a medical team to the island and subsequently following up with annual visits to help build schools, he told Banker & Tradesman in a 2017 interview.