Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis says that he was unjustly handcuffed on a United Airlines flight in front of his family after a flight attendant falsely accused him of hitting him.
Davis — who won two Super Bowls as an All-Pro running back for the Denver Broncos — provided his account of the incident via Instagram on Monday. Per Davis, the incident took place on a flight from Denver to Orange County, California, with his wife and their three children.
“During beverage service, my son politely requested a cup of ice,” Davis wrote. “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 for my son. His response and the events that followed should stun us all.”
Davis wrote that the attendant then accused him of hitting him.
“He shouted ‘don’t hit me’ and left the cart to hurriedly approach the front of the plane,” Davis continued. “I was confused, as were the passengers in the front of me who witnessed the exchange.
“I thought nothing of it other than this particular employee was incredibly rude and and blatantly wrong in his accusations of me hitting him. I did not interact with him further for the duration of the flight.”
When the flight landed, the FBI got involved, Davis wrote.
“As we landed in Orange County, the pilot asked all passengers to remain seated, six FBI and law enforcement agents boarded the plane,” Davis continued. “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.
“I was then removed from the flight while being recorded by multiple passengers as I was paraded off of the plane in handcuffs by the officers.
“I was — and remain — humiliated, embarrassed, powerless and angry.”
No video of the incident has surfaced on social media.
Davis continued that agents determined during questioning that the flight attendant was “inaccurate in his accusations” and that he received an apology from the agents. He wrote that he had yet to hear anything from United Airlines.
“I refuse to stand by without speaking out on this disgusting display of injustice and deplorable treatment by United Airlines,” Davis continued, while writing that his legal team would be reaching out to the airline.
Since Davis’ Instagram post, United has released a statement to multiple media outlets that the airline has reached out to Davis to apologize.
“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,” United’s statement reads.
The Los Angeles FBI office didn’t name Davis, but acknowledged in a statement to media that agents and law enforcement partners were dispatched to Orange County’s John Wayne Airport to respond to a report of an incident aboard a flight.
“One individual was detained for questioning, was cooperative with law enforcement and was released to continue his travels,” the FBI statement reads.
Davis, 51, played seven NFL seasons from 1995-2001, all of them with the Broncos. He starred alongside quarterback John Elway on teams that won consecutive Super Bowls after the 1997 and 1998 seasons. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
