‘My dignity was stripped’: Football legend Terrell Davis tells ‘GMA’ about getting handcuffed on a plane in front of his kids
“I felt demoralized. I felt embarrassed, humiliated. I felt like my dignity was stripped from me right in front of my children and my family. And I want United to be held accountable for this,” the two-time Super Bowl champion told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Wednesday.
Davis is still waiting for a direct apology from United Airlines, he told “GMA” Wednesday morning. CNN has reached out to United Airlines for comment.
The incident happened Saturday at the end of a flight from Denver to Orange County, California. Davis, 51, was flying with his wife, two sons and daughter when one of the sons asked for a cup of ice during beverage service, Davis wrote on Instagram. A flight attendant “either didn’t hear or ignored his request and continued past our row,” the post read.
“I calmly reached behind me and lightly tapped (the attendant’s) arm to get his attention to again ask for a cup of ice for my son,” Davis wrote. “His response and the events that followed should stun all of us.
“He shouted, ‘Don’t hit me,’ and left the cart to hurriedly approach the front of the plane. I was confused, as were the passengers in front of me who witnessed the exchange. I thought nothing of it other than this particular employee was incredibly rude and blatantly wrong in his accusations of me hitting him.”
Davis did not see or interact with the attendant for the rest of the flight, he wrote. After the plane landed in Orange County, the pilot asked passengers to remain seated, and FBI and law enforcement agents went to Davis’s seat, put him in handcuffs and took him off the plane – with the scene “recorded by multiple passengers,” he wrote.
Davis’ wife, Tamiko Davis, told “GMA” she “thought it was a joke, because what else could it be?”
She asked her husband: “‘Terrell, are you joking? ... Is this a prank?’ And he just said, quietly, ‘No, it’s not.’ And I’m looking at my sons, who are sitting right next to him, watching their dad being handcuffed.”
After Davis was taken off the plane, “We were just left to fend for ourselves on a flight with everyone staring at us,” his wife told ABC.
Later, “During questioning, it was rightfully determined by the agents that this flight attendant was inaccurate in his accusations and the agents profusely apologized,” Davis wrote.
United Airlines has “removed the flight attendant from duty while we closely review this matter,” the company said in an email to CNN on Monday evening.
“This is clearly not the kind of travel experience we strive to provide, and we have reached out to Mr. Davis’ team to apologize,” United Airlines’ email read.
But Davis told “GMA,” “They have not reached out to me to apologize. They have reached out to my attorney, but I have not heard from them directly. And so that, to me, is a problem.”
“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,” Davis wrote on Instagram.
The FBI’s Los Angeles field office acknowledged on Monday that agents and law enforcement partners respond to a report of an incident with a flight that landed Saturday at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport. A person who was detained for questioning “was cooperative with law enforcement and was released to continue his travels,” the FBI office said.
The FBI does not provide details of incidents or names of people who might have been interviewed unless charges are filed publicly, FBI field office spokesperson Laura Eimiller said.
What happened on the flight “is appalling and disturbing to say the least,” Parker Stinar, managing partner of the Chicago-based law firm representing Davis, wrote in an email to CNN this week.
“We plan on fully investigating the events that took place and are actively contacting United Airlines in this matter,” Stinar wrote.
One of only eight running backs to have rushed more than 2,000 yards in an NFL season, Davis played seven seasons in the NFL – all with the Broncos – from 1995 to 2001, and helped the Broncos win two Super Bowls in January 1998 and January 1999.
He was named MVP of that first title game, rushing for 157 yards and scoring three touchdowns in the Broncos’ 31-24 win over the Green Bay Packers. The three-time Pro Bowler was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
CNN’s Jason Hanna, Raja Razek and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.
Davis expressed his frustration to ABC's "Good Morning America," stating, "I want United to be held accountable for this, we are still waiting for a direct apology from United Airlines." After the incident, Davis mentioned in his Instagram post that "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."
