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(CNN) — Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Davis says he was wrongfully handcuffed and taken off a United Airlines plane over the weekend after he tapped a flight attendant’s arm to ask for a cup of ice – and the airline says it has removed the attendant from duty while it reviews the incident and has reached out to Davis to apologize.
The former Denver Broncos running back said authorities let him go after they determined the attendant made inaccurate accusations stemming from their interaction on Saturday’s flight from Denver to California’s Orange County. Davis said the incident left him feeling “humiliated, embarrassed, powerless and angry” and is calling for a “thorough and proper investigation.”
“I refuse to stand by without speaking out on this disgusting display of injustice and deplorable treatment,” Davis wrote in a Monday Instagram post, the contents of which also appeared in a release from a law firm representing him.
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. 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.
“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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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