NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis Handcuffed After United Airlines Flight, Airline Apologizes

The NFL Hall of Famer was faraway from a United Airlines flight from Denver to Orange County, California, after attempting to get the eye of a flight attendant. The flight attendant contacted airline officials, resulting in the previous player being handcuffed and arrested after landing. United Airlines apologized and removed the flight attendant from service.

According to NPR, Terrell Davis and his family were on a plane when he tried to get the eye of a male flight attendant. He described the disturbing incident on his Instagram account. He explained that his son asked for a cup of ice and the flight attendant didn’t hear him or ignored him. He contacted the flight attendant to get his attention.

“I calmly reached behind me and lightly tapped (the employee’s) shoulder to get his attention and ask again for a cup of ice for my son,” Davis said. “His response and the events that followed should have stunned us all.”

Davis wrote that after he patted the flight attendant, who said, “Don’t hit me,” he said he was confused, as were other passengers who witnessed what happened.

There was no other interaction with flight attendants, but when the plane landed, the pilot instructed passengers to stay of their seats. Six FBI and other law enforcement agents boarded the plane and went on to Davis to handcuff him. He says he was escorted off the plane in front of his wife and youngsters, an incident that left him “humiliated.”

“I was — and still am — humiliated, ashamed, powerless and angry,” Davis wrote.

Law enforcement officials allowed him to go away for free of charge after discussing the incident, and he said they told him they might support him “in any way possible.”

United Airlines issued an announcement regarding the incident.

Davis’ attorneys, the law firm Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, responded to United’s statement, based on . “Your response — a quick, impersonal apology and ‘removing from duty’ the flight attendant — does not correct this mistake,” before concluding that the situation was “scary, traumatic, embarrassing and humiliating” for Davis and his relations.