Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis is accusing a United Airlines flight attendant of sparking an incident that resulted in the former player being handcuffed by FBI agents on a flight from Denver to California Saturday.
The 51-year-old Super Bowl champion posted about the incident on his Instagram page and insisted that the flight attendant outrageously assumed that Davis was being violent or threatening when he asked the attendant for a cup of ice for his son.
“The flight attendant either didn’t hear or ignored his request and continued past our row,” Davis wrote Monday. “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.”
The ex-player said that once the plane landed, the FBI confronted him, placed him in handcuffs in front of his family, and then began investigating the airlines’ accusations against him.
He added that the FBI soon concluded that the flight attendant’s version of events was false and released Davis from custody.
“I have yet to hear anything from United Airlines,” Davis told his social media followers. “The traumatizing experience of my two sons, my daughter, and my wife watching me being placed in handcuffs – without due process or any explanation – cannot be undone.”
He concluded, saying, “I refuse to stand by without speaking out on this disgusting display of injustice and deplorable treatment by United Airlines,” and demanded a thorough investigation into the flight staff.
Davis played for the Denver Broncos when they won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1998 and ’99. He finished his career in 2002 with 7,607 rushing yards and 60 touchdowns. He was the Super Bowl MVP in 1999 and the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1998. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2017.
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