Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis says he was wrongfully 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 on Instagram on Monday. According to Davis, the incident occurred on a flight from Denver to Orange County, California, with his wife and three children.
“During drink service, my son politely asked for a glass of ice,” Davis wrote. “The flight attendant either didn’t hear or ignored his request and walked past our line.
“I calmly reached back and lightly tapped his arm to get his attention and again ask for a glass of ice for my son. His response and the events that followed must surprise us all.”
Davis wrote that the clerk accused him of hitting him.
“He shouted ‘don’t hit me’ and got out of the cart to hurriedly approach the front of the plane,” Davis continued. “I was confused, as were the passengers in front of me who witnessed the exchange.
“I thought nothing of it except that this particular employee was incredibly rude and blatantly wrong in his accusations of me hitting him. I did not interact with him further during the flight.”
When the flight landed, the FBI became involved, Davis wrote.
“When we landed in Orange County, the pilot asked all passengers to remain seated, six FBI agents and police officers boarded the plane,” Davis continued. “The FBI agents and local authorities went directly to my seat and immediately handcuffed me, while I sat 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 whilst being recorded by several passengers as I was paraded off the plane in handcuffs by police officers.
“I was – and remain – humiliated, ashamed, helpless and angry.”
No video of the incident has appeared on social media.
Davis continued that agents determined during questioning that the commissioner was “inaccurate in his accusations” and that he received an apology from agents. He wrote that he had not yet heard from United Airlines.
“I refuse to stand by and not speak out about this disgusting display of injustice and deplorable treatment by United Airlines,” Davis continued, while writing that his legal team would be contacting 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 type of travel experience we strive to provide and we have reached out to Mr. Davis’ team to apologize,” United’s statement read.
The Los Angeles FBI office did not name Davis, but acknowledged in a media release that agents and law enforcement partners were dispatched to John Wayne Airport in Orange County to respond to a report of an incident aboard a flight.
“An individual was detained for questioning, cooperated with authorities, and was released to continue traveling,” the FBI statement reads.
Davis, 51, played seven NFL seasons from 1995 to 2001, all of them with the Broncos. He starred alongside quarterback John Elway on teams that won back-to-back Super Bowls after the 1997 and 1998 seasons. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
