Support truly
independent journalism
United Airlines has apologized for sending a no-fly letter to NFL star Terrell Davis after he was handcuffed and escorted off a plane earlier this month for tapping a flight attendant on the arm.
Davis, a former Denver Broncos player and NFL Hall-of-Famer, shared the letter from United informing him that he was on a no-fly list following the incident.
“Adding insult to injury, @united not only had me removed from their flight in handcuffs, but placed me on their No Fly List after it was determined I did nothing wrong and was released,” Davis wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.
United Airlines said the flight attendant involved no longer works for their airline, and they have rescinded the letter.
“Mr. Davis received this letter the day after the incident,” United Airlines told NBC News. “It was generated due to the report of the flight attendant — who is no longer employed by United. The day after the letter was sent, we discussed with Mr. Davis’ team that it had been rescinded.”
Davis’ attorney, Parker Stinar, said Davis did not see the email until recently and wasn’t told that United rescinded the order until he posted the letter on social media this week.
The former Denver Broncos player was on a July 13 United flight from Colorado to California when he “lightly tapped” a flight attendant’s arm to get his attention and ask for a cup of ice. Davis said the attendant then shouted, “Don’t hit me,” before walking away.
“I was confused, as were the passengers in front of me who witnessed the exchange,” Davis posted on Instagram, two days after the incident. “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 he and the flight attendant did not interact for the rest of the flight. When the plane landed, six officers, including FBI agents, boarded and handcuffed the NFL player before removing him.
“I was – and remain – humiliated, embarrassed, powerless and angry,” Davis wrote.
Davis said law enforcement agents determined he did nothing wrong and apologized for the spectacle. United Airlines said it has also apologized to the NFL star and “continue to review our handling of incidents like this.”
Davis said the incident left a lasting mark on his family. “My family will never unsee me, nor will I ever forget, being taken off an airplane in handcuffs for simply asking for a cup of ice,” he wrote on social media.
The former running back told NBC News earlier this month that he believed his race played a role in the incident.
“I believe if I were not a Black man, I wouldn’t have been in handcuffs until they found out exactly what happened,” Davis said.
Davis was a running back for the Denver Broncos from 1995 to 2001, and elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
