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Pro football Hall of Famer Terrell Davis shared a wild story on Monday about how he was inexplicably handcuffed and hauled off a United Airlines plane in front of his wife and kids.
“During the beverage service, my son politely requested a cup of ice. The flight attendant either didn’t hear or ignored his request and continued past our row,” Davis wrote on Instagram. “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.”
He went to explain that the flight attendant shouted ‘don’t hit me’ and hurriedly moved to the front of the plane. When Davis, his wife and his kids landed, six FBI and law enforcement agents boarded the plane, put him in handcuffs, and removed him from the flight. The agents would later apologize, saying it was unwarranted after hearing his story.
The incident occurred on Saturday and by Monday Terrell Davis said he still had heard nothing from United Airlines.
“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,” United Airlines eventually said in a statement on Tuesday. “We have removed the flight attendant from duty while we closely review this matter.”
Davis’ attorney Parker Stinar has since told TMZ that United’s statement isn’t enough.
“An apology without action is just words,” said Stiner, who wants a transparent investigation and a face-to-face meeting with the United’s CEO.
On Wednesday, Davis and his wife, Tamiko Nash, appeared on Good Morning America to once again rehash what happened on the flight.
“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,” said Davis.
When the agents began handcuffing Davis, Nash says she said, “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.”
Terrell Davis also told Good Morning America, “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.”
“We were just left to fend for ourselves on a flight with everyone staring at us,” Nash added.