Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis said he was handcuffed and removed from a plane Saturday following a false accusation by a flight attendant.
Davis, who had a 2,000-yard rushing season and won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos, issued a statement with his version of events Monday on Instagram.
Davis, 51, said he was on a United Airlines flight from Denver to Orange County, California, on Saturday with his wife and three children when one of his sons asked a flight attendant for a cup of ice.
“The flight attendant either didn’t hear or ignored his request and continued past our row,” Davis wrote. “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 all of us.”
According to Davis, the flight attendant shouted, “Don’t hit me!” in response.
“I was confused, as were the passengers in front of me who witnessed the exchange,” he continued. “I thought nothing of it other than this particular employee was incredibly rude and blatantly wrong in his accusations of me hitting him.”
Davis said he had no further interactions with the flight attendant, but when the plane landed, the pilot asked all passengers to remain seated.
Davis said six FBI agents and local authorities boarded the plane and placed him in handcuffs in front of his family and then removed him from the flight.
“I was — and remain — humiliated, embarrassed, powerless, and angry,” Davis wrote.
After explaining the situation to law enforcement, Davis said they determined the flight attendant was “inaccurate” and the agents apologized to him and let him go.
United Airlines officials on Monday told The Denver Post that the flight attendant involved in the encounter has been removed from duty while “we closely review this matter.”
“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,” the airline said in a statement.
In an email to The Denver Post, FBI Los Angeles Field Office spokesperson Laura Eimiller confirmed FBI agents and law enforcement responded to Orange County’s John Wayne Airport on Saturday for an incident on a flight “that required further investigation.”
Attorneys for Davis said what happened on the flight was “appalling and disturbing to say the least,” according to the newspaper.
“We plan on fully investigating the events that took place and are actively contacting United Airlines in this matter,” said Parker Stinar, managing partner with Chicago law firm Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, in a statement Monday.
Davis played from 1995 to 2001 with the Broncos, who drafted him in the sixth round in 1995. He rushed for 7,607 yards and 60 touchdowns, including 2,008 yards and 21 TDs during his MVP season in 1998. He helped Denver win Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.
