NFL Hall of Fame legend Terrell Davis says he was “mistakenly handcuffed” on a flight to California, and United Airlines has issued a request to the two-time Super Bowl champion The winner apologized.
Davis said he was removed from a United Airlines flight on Saturday after a flight attendant accused the former Denver Broncos star of assaulting him.
The 51-year-old man, who flew in from Denver with his family, described his ordeal on social media. He said the claim was false and said he had been “traumatized”.
United Airlines told the BBC it had suspended the flight attendant while it investigated the matter and reviewed its policies.
Mr Davis posted a statement on his Instagram explaining that during the flight’s drink service, his son asked for a glass of ice.
To get his son to eat ice, Mr Davis said he “tapped” the flight attendant’s arm to get his attention, only to hear him respond: “Don’t hit me!”
The flight attendant then left the shopping cart and walked to the front of the plane, according to the Instagram account.
“I am confused, just like the passenger before me who witnessed this conversation,” Davis wrote. “I believe that in addition to this particular employee being extremely rude, his accusation that I assaulted him is extremely rude and blatantly false.” .
Mr. Davis said he and other passengers were told to stay in their seats when the plane arrived at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. FBI agents and local authorities then boarded the plane, handcuffed him in front of his wife and three children, and removed him from the plane.
“Passengers throughout the flight watched in silence,” he said.
A spokesman for United Airlines told the BBC the airline had apologized to Mr Davis and continued to discuss the incident with him.
“This is clearly not the travel experience we strive to provide,” she said.
“We have suspended the flight attendant while we investigate the matter closely and are reviewing our policies for incidents such as this.”
Mr. Davis was a star running back for the Denver Broncos, playing for the team from 1995 to 2001.
He helped the Denver Nuggets win Super Bowls 32 and 33, remains the team’s all-time leading rusher and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
