Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis was taken off of an airplane in handcuffs over the weekend in what he described as a “disgusting display of injustice and deplorable treatment.”
In a lengthy Instagram post on Monday, Davis revealed that he was handcuffed and escorted off of a United Airlines flight from Denver to Orange County on Saturday by federal agents. The response stemmed from what the Hall of Fame rusher said was an innocent exchange with a flight attendant.
As Davis described it, the 51-year-old’s son had asked a flight attendant for a cup of ice during beverage service. Davis said the flight attendant either did not hear the request or chose to ignore it, so Davis “lightly tapped” the United employee on the arm to get his attention. At that point, Davis says the flight attendant became furious.
“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,” Davis wrote. “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.”
When the plane landed in Orange County, Davis says the pilot asked all passengers to remain seated. Several federal law enforcement agents then boarded the plane and handcuffed Davis. After Davis was “humiliated” and escorted off, the agents believed his side of the story and “profusely apologized.”
“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 the plane in handcuffs by the officers,” Davis wrote.
“I was — and remain — humiliated, embarrassed, powerless, and angry. 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.”
Davis said he has not heard from United Airlines and that his legal team is pursuing action. You can read his full account of the incident:
Davis played for the Broncos from 1995-2002, retiring during the preseason in his final year. He won two Super Bowls with the team and was named MVP of Super Bowl XXXII. Davis rushed for 7,607 yards in his seven seasons and made the Pro Bowl three times.
