United Airlines has apologized to Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis after an incident that led him to be handcuffed and removed from a flight. Will that be enough to pacify Davis?
Davis, his wife and his attorney appeared on CBS’ Good Mornings on Wednesday to discuss the incident, which he called a “disgusting display of injustice.” His attorney, Parker Stinar, said legal action is being considered.
“They need to be held accountable,” Stinar said. “We would love to see policy change. We think that’s very important, beginning with a sincere, true apology.”
Davis and his wife, Tamiko, were flying with their three children from Denver to Orange County, California, for a family vacation at Disneyland. Davis said when he tapped a flight attendant’s arm to get his attention, the flight attendant accused Davis of hitting him.
Upon landing, law enforcement boarded the flight to handcuff and remove Davis from the flight.
“That moment, I felt all of my dignity. I felt powerless. I felt embarrassed,” Davis told Gayle King.
Stinar said interviews of Davis and other passengers convinced law enforcement that the flight attendant’s statement was false or misleading.
“The problem is the scars that took place and the trauma that took place are going to impact this family forever,” Stinar told King. “Equally as important, we have heard from dozens of other United passengers that have experienced similar conduct, events and sadly, I don’t know why it happened for Mr. Davis, most of those people aren’t handcuffed.”
United has removed the flight attendant from service until further review.
Davis, 51, played his entire seven-year career in Denver and was the NFL MVP in 1998 and Super Bowl XXXII MVP.