Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis has called out United Airlines after an interaction with a flight attendant actions led to his detainment by police while traveling with his family from Denver to Orange County, California, for a Disneyland vacation.
Davis, 51, recounted the incident on Instagram, explaining he was flying with his wife, Tamiko Nash, and three children on Saturday, July 13, when one of his two sons asked a flight attendant for a cup of ice. The attendant did not respond to the request, so Davis lightly tapped the attendant’s arm to get his attention.
“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.
The attendant reacted by shouting, “Don’t hit me,” and hurriedly moving to the front of the plane. Davis was bewildered by the overreaction, as were other passengers. Still, the former Broncos superstar “thought nothing of it,” as he and the attendant did not speak again during the flight.
After the plane landed, Davis was handcuffed and led off the plane by FBI and law enforcement agents, a scene recorded by multiple passengers.
Davis maintained his composure to avoid escalating the situation.
The FBI quickly determined he was innocent. The airline has since removed the attendant and admitted the mistake, but some speculate that pressure from Davis’s 128,000 followers and his media connections played a role in this decision.
On Monday, July 15, Laura Eimiller, spokesperson for the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, confirmed that agents responded to an incident involving a flight at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport. While the FBI did not identify Davis as the person detained, they noted the individual was cooperative and released.
Davis believes race played a role in his treatment, writing on Instagram about the traumatizing experience for his family and feeling powerless during the incident.
“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.
In a conversation this week with CNN’s Erin Burnett, Davis expressed feeling “stripped” of his dignity. “I was powerless. I couldn’t do anything,” the two-time Super Bowl champion said.
The incident further embarrassed him as head of his household.
“My boys were there. And my daughter was there. And my wife is there,” he said in the interview. “I’m wondering what’s going on. They didn’t ask me any questions. I had no chance to even explain what happened if anything happened.”
His wife chimed in to share how scary the matter was in the moment and how Terrel was never “given an opportunity to ask questions or to challenge” what happened.
“The first words that the FBI told him was, ‘Don’t make a scene. Don’t fight it,'” Tamiko Davis expressed. “So what can he do? Terrell knows better. Unfortunately, historically in these situations interaction with law enforcement as a Black man you can’t fight, you can’t resist. You can’t ask.”
She said, “All he could do was sit there and comply and be humiliated in front of his sons and the 200-whatever people. They didn’t give him any options.”
“I certainly felt like that wouldn’t have happened if I were a white person,” Davis interjected. “That’s what I felt. Whether that’s true or not, that’s a different conversation.”
Law enforcement apologized to Davis and his family. He admitted that it’s unclear what race the man was, and that officers claimed they were told he “struck a flight attendant.”
He wrote on his Instagram, “During questioning, it was rightfully determined by the agents that this flight attendant was inaccurate in his accusations and the agents profusely apologized even offering to support me and my family in any way possible.”
Davis’ social media post about the incident received over 35,000 likes and thousands of comments, including supportive messages from his celebrity friends, including Marlon Wayans who said he was “down for a class action” lawsuit.
Holly Peete Robinson also chimed in, saying, “So sorry this happened to you!! Such a waste of resources and obvious overreaction. Humiliating!!”
Comedian Loni Love also thought that it was an obvious overreaction, writing, “It’s a common human reaction to tap a person to get their attention when they have passed you by.. I know you Terrell and you are a humble guy.. I’m sorry your family had to witness that.”
Please see my statement regarding the recent humiliating, disturbing and traumatizing incident in front of our children aboard @united https://t.co/tRQ7fENdOZ
— Terrell Davis (@Terrell_Davis) July 15, 2024
Please contact @sgghlaw for any inquiries.
United Airlines has publicly apologized and stated that they are reviewing the matter.
“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 said in a statement. “We have removed the flight attendant from duty while we closely review this matter.”
However, Davis told “GMA” on Wednesday, July 17, that he has yet to receive a direct apology from the airline.
“They have not reached out to me to apologize,” he told ABC. “They have reached out to my attorney, but I have not heard from them directly. And so that, to me, is a problem.”
Davis has hired Parker Stinar, managing partner of a Chicago-based law firm, to represent him. Stinar stated that they are fully investigating the incident and are in talks with United Airlines.
“We plan on fully investigating the events that took place and are actively contacting United Airlines in this matter,” Stinar wrote.
This incident disrupted Davis’ vacation plans and has now shifted his focus to advocacy and social action. The former NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion hopes to raise awareness about mistreatment, using his robust platform to initiate change to prevent similar incidents in the future.
