NFL Hall of Famer led off plane in handcuffs after incident with flight attendant

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – Former NFL star Terrell Davis, who won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos, said he was “humiliated” after being led off a United Airlines plane in handcuffs. He insisted he did nothing wrong after a reported incident with a flight attendant.

“I am still in shock over the traumatic events that occurred Saturday aboard a United flight from Denver to Orange County with my wife, two sons and daughter,” Davis said in a statement on social media.

In his statement, Davis, 51, said his son “politely” asked a flight attendant for a cup of ice cream. Davis says the flight attendant “either didn’t hear or ignored his request” and continued down the line.

Davis says he “calmly” reached out and touched the flight attendant’s arm to get his attention. Davis says the flight attendant yelled “Don’t hit me,” left the drinks cart in line and quickly walked to the front.

Davis says he and nearby passengers were confused by the conductor’s reaction, but “I didn’t think anything of it other than that this particular employee was incredibly rude and completely false in his accusations that I had hit him.”

When the plane landed in Orange County, six FBI and police officers boarded the plane while the pilot told all passengers to remain seated, Davis says. He says the officers immediately handcuffed him “without any explanation” and escorted him off the plane.

“I was – and still am – humiliated, ashamed, powerless and angry,” the statement said.

Davis says law enforcement officials apologized “profusely” and said they concluded the flight attendant’s allegation was “inaccurate.” United Airlines told CNN that the flight attendant was removed from duty while the incident was investigated.

Although Davis said in his statement that he had not heard from United, the airline said in an email to CNN: “This is clearly not the type of travel experience we want to provide and we have reached out to Mr. Davis’ team to apologize.”

Davis played seven seasons in the NFL, all with the Broncos. He helped the team win two Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXII, a victory over the Green Bay Packers. He is one of eight NFL running backs to reach 2,000 rushing yards in a season, including 2,008 yards in 1998.

He suffered a serious knee injury in 1999 that severely limited his final three seasons. He only managed 7,607 yards during his career, but his brief period of excellence was enough to earn him induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.