NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis said he feels “humiliated, embarrassed, powerless, and angry” after he was handcuffed and removed from a United Airlines flight on Saturday.
Davis, a two-time Super Bowl champion, said he was travelling from Denver to Orange County, Calif., with his wife, two sons and his daughter when the “traumatizing” incident took place.
In a statement shared to social media, the ex-Denver Broncos running back said the altercation began over his son’s request to a flight attendant for a glass of ice.
Davis, 51, wrote the flight attendant “either didn’t hear or ignored” his son’s inquiry, so Davis “calmly” tapped the attendant’s arm to ask for ice.
“He shouted ‘don’t hit me’ and left the cart to hurriedly approach the front of the plane,” Davis wrote.
Though Davis claimed he did not interact with the crew member for the remainder of the flight, he said he was handcuffed and “paraded” off the plane by six FBI officers upon landing.
United Airlines said they have already reached out to Davis’ team to apologize for the incident.
Davis said he, as well as the other passengers nearby, were “confused” by the flight attendant’s reaction.
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“During questioning, it was rightfully determined by the agents that this flight attendant was inaccurate in his accusations and the agents profusely apologized even offering to support me and my family in any way possible,” he wrote.
“The traumatizing experience of my two sons, my daughter, and my wife watching me be placed in handcuffs — without due process or any explanation — cannot be undone,” Davis maintained. “I refuse to stand by without speaking out on this disgusting display of injustice and deplorable treatment by United Airlines.”
Davis blamed the airline crew member for placing “undue harm on me and my family.”
In a statement to NBC News, United Airlines said it is investigating the incident.
“This is clearly not the kind of travel experience we strive to provide, and we have reached out to Mr. Davis’s team to apologize,” the airline said. “We have removed the flight attendant from duty while we closely review this matter.”
An FBI spokesperson confirmed the incident to ABC News and said Davis was detained over the incident. He was “cooperative with law enforcement and was released to continue his travels,” the spokesperson detailed.
Davis’ lawyer, Parker Stinar, told the outlet he will “thoroughly investigate” whether the incident was racially motivated.
“Terrell’s obviously a Black man; this flight attendant was not a Black man,” the lawyer said. “Based on the events I have heard and learned thus far, [race] is certainly a component in our investigation.”
Davis and his wife, Tamiko, appeared on Good Morning America on Wednesday where the ex-NFLer called the entire ordeal “bizarre.” He said United contacted his lawyer to apologize, but maintained he has not heard from the company directly.
The couple said the law enforcement officers boarded the plane to handcuff Davis while he was still seated. They allegedly did not tell him why he was being detained.
“I thought it was a joke, because what else could it be?” Tamiko said of seeing her husband in cuffs.
She fought back tears as she described how their sons, ages 13 and 11, witnessed the incident without knowing how to help.
Davis wants United to take “more accountability” for the situation. He said he feels as if his “dignity was stripped from me, right in front of my children and my family.”
Davis became a beloved Denver Broncos alum after joining the NFL team as a 1995 sixth-round draft pick. He stayed with the team throughout his entire seven-year career. He earned kudos as the NFL MVP for the 1998 season and was also named the Super Bowl XXXII MVP. Davis retired during the 2002 preseason because of an injury but was later elected to the Hall of Fame in 2017.
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