NFL legend Terrell Davis was taken off a United Airlines flight by the FBI on July 13.
The Denver Broncos Hall of Famer was handcuffed after he said he tried to get a flight attendant’s attention when his son was not heard asking for a cup of ice.
“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,” Davis said.
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Denver running back Terrell Davis carries the ball during the Broncos’ 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. (Rick Stewart/Allsport)
Davis said the flight attendant shouted, “Don’t hit me!” and he was later taken away in handcuffs when the flight landed.
The video does not show the initial interaction, but rather, an FBI agent speaking with Davis, who eventually gets up out of his seat. The same agent places his right hand on Davis’ right shoulder-blade, after giving a tablet to a woman, while they walk off the plane together.
It’s unclear whether Davis is handcuffed in the video.
“This video confirms the harrowing tale of multiple law enforcement agents, including the FBI, boarding the plane and apprehending a shocked, terrified, humiliated, and compliant Mr. Davis in front of his wife, Tamiko, minor children, and more than one hundred passengers,” Parker Stinar, managing partner of Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley said in a statement.
“The rationale behind the United Airlines employee’s deceitful or inaccurate report extends far beyond a mere ice request or innocent tap on the shoulder. This is why we will be filing a lawsuit because only through legal proceedings can we uncover the truth and make United Airlines answer for the systemic shortcomings that culminated in this traumatic incident, causing irreparable harm and enduring suffering for the Davis family.”
Davis described the flight as “ordinary,” until beverage service began. The former NFL player said he was reading a magazine and his two sons seated in the row with him were preoccupied with their tablets.
Terrell Davis acknowledges the crowd’s cheers during a pre-game ceremony to honor his introduction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame before the Broncos played the Cincinnati Bengals at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Nov. 19, 2017. (Marc Piscotty/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“They were busy playing with the iPad so they didn’t respond. And I remember the tone got a little bit more aggressive. And I was like ‘Man, that was kind of rude for him to ask my kids like that.’”
Davis said in his statement on Monday that law enforcement determined the flight attendant’s retelling of the events was “inaccurate” and they “profusely apologized.” United Airlines released a statement, according to ABC, stating that the flight attendant was removed from duty as they investigate the incident.
Davis, 51, said it was a “disgusting display of injustice and deplorable treatment.”
“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 in a social media post.
Terrell Davis speaks onstage during SiriusXM at Super Bowl LIV on Jan. 31, 2020, in Miami, Florida. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM )
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“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,” he said. “I want United to be held accountable.”
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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