programming notes: Terrell Davis has his first cable interview today with Erin Burnett. It is scheduled to air live on CNN at 1 p.m. ET.
cnn
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The children of NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis were waiting for a vacation in California when their father was inexplicably handcuffed and removed from a United Airlines plane.
“I felt discouraged. I felt embarrassed, humiliated. I felt as if my dignity was taken away from me in front of my children and my family. And I want United to be held accountable for that,” the two-time Super Bowl champion said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Wednesday.
Davis is still waiting for a direct apology from United Airlines, he told “GMA” on Wednesday morning. CNN has contacted United Airlines for comment.
The incident occurred at the end of a flight from Denver to Orange County, California on Saturday. Davis, 51, was flying with his wife, two sons and daughter when, while serving drinks, one of his sons asked him for a cup of ice, Davis wrote on Instagram. A flight attendant “either did not hear her request or ignored her and walked past our row,” the post reads.
Davis wrote, “I calmly reached behind me and lightly tapped (the attendant’s) arm to draw her attention back to asking for a cup of ice for my son.” “His reaction and the events that followed should shock us all.
“He yelled, ‘Don’t kill me,’ and quickly left the car to get to the front of the plane. I was confused, as were the passengers in front of me who witnessed this exchange. I thought this particular employee’s accusation of me hitting him was incredibly rude and patently false, other than that there was nothing to it.
Davis did not see or interact with the attendant during the rest of the flight, they wrote. After the plane landed in Orange County, the pilot told passengers to remain seated, and FBI and law enforcement agents went to Davis’ seat, handcuffed him, and removed him from the plane – a scene recorded by several passengers. ,” they wrote. ,
Davis’s wife, Tamico Davis, told “GMA”, “They thought it was a joke, because what could be more?”
She asked her husband: “Terrell, are you kidding? …Is this a prank?’ And she said softly, ‘No, it’s not like that.’ And I’m looking at my sons, who are sitting right next to them, watching their father in handcuffs.
After Davis was removed from the plane, “We were left to fend for ourselves on the flight and everyone was staring at us,” his wife told ABC.
Later, “during the interrogation, it was correctly determined by agents that this flight attendant was wrong in her allegations and the agents apologized profusely,” Davis wrote.
“United Airlines has removed the flight attendant from duty while we closely review this matter,” the company said in an email to CNN on Monday evening.
“This is clearly not the kind of travel experience we strive to provide, and we have contacted Mr. Davis’s team to apologize,” the United Airlines email read.
But Davis told “GMA,” “They have not reached out to me to apologize. They have contacted my attorney, but I haven’t heard directly from them. And so, to me, that’s a problem. ”
“There is nothing that can be diminished by the painful experience of my two sons, my daughter, and my wife watching me be handcuffed without due process or any explanation,” Davis wrote on Instagram.
The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office acknowledged Monday that agents and law enforcement partners are responding to a report of an incident with a flight that landed Saturday at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport. The man who was detained for questioning was “cooperative with law enforcement and has been released to continue his travels,” the FBI office said.
FBI field office spokeswoman Laura Eimler said the FBI does not provide details of incidents or names of people who may have been interviewed until charges are publicly filed.
Parker Stiner, managing partner of the Chicago-based law firm representing Davis, wrote in an email to CNN this week that what happened on the flight was “appalling and disturbing, to say the least.”
“We plan to fully investigate the events that occurred and are actively contacting United Airlines regarding this matter,” Steiner wrote.
One of only eight running backs to rush for over 2,000 yards in an NFL season, Davis played seven seasons in the NFL – all with the Broncos – from 1995 to 2001, and helped the Broncos win two Super Bowls in January 1998 and January 1999. of. ,
He was named MVP of that first title game, rushing for 157 yards and scoring three touchdowns in the Broncos’ 31–24 victory over the Green Bay Packers. The three-time Pro Bowler was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
CNN’s Jason Hanna, Raja Razek and Cindy von Quedno contributed to this report.