DENVER — Terrell Davis said he has been banned from flying on United Airlines after an incident where he was handcuffed and removed from a flight.
The NFL Hall of Famer posted to social media Tuesday morning, saying United has placed him on their "no fly list" until a review of the incident has occurred.
"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 said on Instagram. "While my family and I continue to have difficult conversations with our children, I will continue to fight for what is right for all passengers of United."
In a statement, United said Davis received the letter the day after the incident and said it was generated due to the report made by the flight attendant, who they noted no longer works for the airline. They did not say whether the flight attendant was fired or resigned.
"United's continued travel ban, lack of a public apology to the entire Davis family, failure to publicly provide any transparency as to how this horrific event took place, and their failure to publicly address significant policy changes to avoid passenger mistreatment, only further justifies the Davis family’s decision to move forward with a lawsuit," Parker Stinar, Davis' attorney, said in a statement. "United must be held accountable, and thus far their actions demonstrate a lack of empathy and care for their customers."
United also said they reached out to Davis' team the day after the letter was sent and told them the ban had been rescinded.
The former Bronco posted on social media July 15 saying he was handcuffed and questioned by FBI agents after a United flight attendant accused Davis of hitting him.
Davis was flying with his wife and three children from Denver to Orange County, California, on July 13. He said in an Instagram post that he touched the flight attendant’s arm to get his attention, and that he wanted to ask the flight attendant for some ice for his son.
Davis said that when he "lightly tapped" the flight attendant's arm to ask for the cup of ice, the flight attendant "shouted 'don't hit me,'" left their cart and went to the front of the aircraft. Davis said he was confused by the exchange and that he did not interact with the attendant for the rest of the flight.
Video showing Davis being handcuffed and removed from the plane was released by his lawyers on July 23.
The video obtained by CNN doesn't show Davis's interaction with the flight attendant, but it does capture what happened once the plane landed in California. It shows Davis being handcuffed and escorted off the plane by several law enforcement officers.
> Watch the video below:
Davis said six FBI and law enforcement agents entered the plane and put him in handcuffs. After being taken off the flight, Davis said he was questioned and the agents determined that the "flight attendant was inaccurate in his accusations." He said the law enforcement agents apologized to him and offered support to Davis and his family.
A member of United’s media relations staff issued a statement saying the airline has reached out to Davis's team to apologize and that they have removed the flight attendant from duty as they investigate.
Davis said he is demanding a thorough and proper investigation, adding that the experience was "traumatizing" and that it left him "humiliated, embarrassed, powerless, and angry."
The law office of Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley released a statement on behalf of Davis and his family, saying the video confirms the story Davis shared on social media and calling the event "traumatic."
Below is the full statement from United Airlines.
"Mr. Davis received this letter the day after the incident. 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. 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."
Reporting from Marissa Solomon, Darren Whitehead, Kevin Vaughan contributed to this article.
