United Airlines Apologizes And Removes Flight Attendant After Incident Involving NFL Hall of Famer

United Airlines is in hot water after a dispute involving National Football League (NFL) Hall of Famer Terrell Davis and a flight attendant occurred on a flight from Denver to Orange County, California, over the weekend. Davis, who was traveling with his wife and three children, says a flight attendant yelled at him after requesting a cup of ice.

Once on the ground, the former Denver Broncos running back was “immediately placed” in handcuffs and was arrested. The events left Davis feeling “humiliated,” and United and law enforcement have reportedly apologized.

“Traumatizing events”

Davis recounted the entire ordeal on Instagram on Sunday. The flight originated at Denver International Airport (DEN) and was headed to John Wayne Airport (SNA) on Saturday. However, the exact flight during the day is unclear. The former NFL player said he is “still in shock over the traumatizing events” that occurred while the flight attendants were serving beverages.

“During the beverage service, my son politely requested a cup of ice. The flight attendant either didn’t hear or ignored his request and continued past our row. I calmly reached behind me and lightly tapped his arm to get his attention to again ask for a cup of ice from my son.”

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

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Davis then explained how the crewmember aggressively responded to him.

“He shouted “don’t hit me” and left the cart to hurriedly approach the front of the plane. I was confused, as were the passengers in front of me who witnessed the exchange. I thought nothing of it other than this particular employee was incredibly rude and blatantly wrong in his accusations of me hitting him. I did not see or interact with him further for the duration of the flight.”

Arrested on the ground

As the dispute appeared to be over, the 51-year-old’s unfortunate experience continued after the flight. Upon landing at SNA, the pilot requested all passengers to remain in their seats as FBI agents and police came onto the plane.

“The FBI agents and local authorities proceeded directly to my seat and immediately placed me in handcuffs, while seated and without any explanation, in front of my wife and children while the entire flight of passengers watched in silence,” Davis stated. “I was then removed from the flight while being recorded by multiple passengers as I was paraded off the plane in handcuffs by the officers.”

Photo: OJUP | Shutterstock

Law enforcement later determined that the flight attendant was “inaccurate in his accusations.” According to The Athletic, the FBI said Davis “was cooperative with law enforcement and was released to continue his travels.”

Demanding a thorough and proper investigation

Davis mentioned in his post that he had not heard from United about the incident. The Hall of Famer’s attorney, Parker Stinar, of Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley law firm, told The Athletic that the firm has “not seen any official apology.”

United reportedly released a statement that said it had “reached out to Mr. Davis’s team to apologize,” and that the flight attendant had been removed from duty. However, the carrier did not respond to Simple Flying’s request for comment on Tuesday.

“I refuse to stand by without speaking out on this disgusting display of injustice and deplorable treatment by United Airlines,” Davis said. “I demand a thorough and proper investigation into the flight attendant who blatantly lied and placed unde harm on me and my family.”

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