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Terrell Davis says United banned him from flying after the flight attendant incident, but the airline says the ban has been lifted

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Pro Football Hall of Fame member Terrell Davis said he was placed on United Airlines’ no-fly list following an incident two weeks ago, but the airline lifted the ban a day after it was imposed.

Davis’ attorney said he and Davis’ family only learned of the ban’s lifting on Tuesday, when Davis posted a statement on social media about his ban.

“United has claimed that this information had already been provided to the Davis family through its attorneys,” Davis’ attorney Parker Stinar said in a statement. “This is patently false.”

United shared a copy of the July 14 email The athlete later Tuesday. The company said the letter and ban were lifted on July 15 after communicating with Davis’ legal team. The airline said the parties communicated again on July 16.

Authorities escorted Davis off a plane in handcuffs on July 13 after an incident with a United flight attendant. Davis said he “lightly tapped the flight attendant’s arm” to get her attention after his son’s request for a pint of ice cream was either disregarded or ignored. The flight attendant then shouted, “Don’t hit me,” Davis said, before hastily leaving the area. When the plane landed, Davis said, six FBI and police officers entered the plane and handcuffed him without explanation.

FBI agents released Davis and United later apologized, saying this was “clearly not the type of travel experience we want to provide.”

However, Davis shared a screenshot of an email he received from United on Instagram on Tuesday morning, saying Davis was “not permitted to fly on United Airlines or any other regional airline named United Express” until a review was completed.

“We have apologized to Mr. Davis for his experience and continue to review our handling of incidents like this to protect our highest priority – the safety of our customers and crew,” United said in a statement.

“The attempt to discredit the timing of events is troubling, to say the least,” Stinar said. “Today’s events have only confirmed the urgent need for a shakeup of United’s leadership, which continues to put protecting its image above passenger safety and experience, even at the expense of the reputation and well-being of an innocent family.”

In his Instagram post, Davis said he will never forget how he felt when he was taken off the plane and the impact it had on his family.

“And now there is the further damage caused to me by United’s travel ban notice,” he wrote. “Not only did this company wrongfully accuse me of something I didn’t do and handcuff me and detain me, but they failed on so many levels to show real compassion for my family’s experience and make real changes to ensure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

United announced on Tuesday that the flight attendant in question was “no longer employed by United.” The airline had previously stated that the flight attendant had been terminated from service.

Stinar said they had not received an official apology.

“I was suspended from this airline despite the fact that they sent a press release to the media with a standard ‘apology,'” Davis wrote Tuesday. “They admitted wrongdoing but did nothing to make it right.”

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Terrell Davis ‘humiliated’ after incident with flight attendant

According to Davis’ post, United’s letter said the company is required by law to delay or refuse boarding “any passenger whose conduct or condition endangers the safety of our employees or other passengers.”

Shortly after the incident, Davis said he felt “humiliated, ashamed, powerless and angry” about his treatment. Last week, a video of Davis being led off the plane in handcuffs was shared with The athlete by Stinar.

“United’s ongoing travel ban, lack of a public apology to the entire Davis family, failure to provide public transparency about how this horrific incident occurred, and their failure to publicly address important policy changes to prevent passenger mistreatment only further justify the Davis family’s decision to file a lawsuit,” Stinar said. “United must be held accountable, and so far their actions demonstrate a lack of empathy and care for their customers.”

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(Photo: Jamie Schwaberow / Getty Images)

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