Another airline is facing scrutiny over its handling of a passenger. Terrell Davis, former Denver Broncos NFL player and MVP of Super Bowl XXXII, was detained by the FBI in front of his family after requesting a cup of ice from a United Airlines flight attendant during a flight from Denver to Orange County, California.
Davis shared his account of the incident on Instagram. He explained that he tapped the flight attendant on the arm to get his attention after asking for the ice, thinking he had not been heard. The flight attendant allegedly reacted by saying, “don’t hit me,” before walking to the back of the plane. Upon landing, FBI agents and local police arrested and handcuffed Davis, briefly detaining him before releasing him. The FBI’s Los Angeles field office confirmed the detention to CBS News.
While Davis did not explicitly state that the incident was racially motivated, he mentioned having “hard conversations” with his family about the ordeal.
“I refuse to stand by without speaking out on this disgusting display of injustice and deplorable treatment by United Airlines,” Davis wrote on Instagram.
This incident is reminiscent of when a group of Black American Airlines passengers were removed from their flight over allegedly false accusations of “offensive body odor.” They sued American Airlines, and the carrier’s CEO issued an apology. Davis mentioned that his legal team is in contact with United.
In a statement to Quartz, United Airlines said, “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.” The airline also stated that it has removed the flight attendant from duty while closely reviewing the matter.