United Airlines has apologized to NFL Hall of Fame legend Terrell Davis after the two-time Super Bowl champion said he was “wrongly handcuffed” on a flight to California.
Mr Davis said he was removed from a United Airlines flight last Saturday after a flight attendant accused the former Denver Broncos star of hitting him.
The 51-year-old, who was flying with his family from Denver, spoke of his grief on social media, saying the claim was false and describing feeling “hurt” by it.
United Airlines told the BBC that it had removed the flight attendant from duty while it investigated the incident and reviewed its policies.
Posting on his Instagram, Mr Davis issued a statement explaining that during the in-flight drinks service, his son asked for a glass of ice.
In an attempt to give the rock to his son, Mr Davis said he “gently tapped” the flight attendant on the arm to get his attention, but only heard him reply: “Don’t hit me!”
According to the Instagram account, the flight attendant then left the cart and walked to the front of the plane.
“I was confused, as were the passengers sitting in front of me who witnessed the exchange,” Mr. Davis wrote. “I couldn’t think of anything other than that this employee was extremely rude and completely wrong to accuse me of hitting him.”
Mr. Davis said that when the plane arrived at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, he and other passengers were asked to remain seated. FBI agents and local authorities then boarded the plane, handcuffed him in front of his wife and three children, and removed him from the flight.
“All passengers on the flight watched in silence,” he said.
A United Airlines spokesperson told the BBC the company had apologised to Mr Davis and was continuing to discuss the incident with him.
“Obviously this is not the kind of tourist experience we want to offer,” she said.
“We have placed the flight attendant on leave while we thoroughly review this issue and are reviewing our policies around incidents like this.”
Mr. Davis was a star winger for the Denver Broncos from 1995 to 2001.
He helped Denver win Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII, remains the team’s all-time leading rusher, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
