NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis: I was handcuffed, taken off United plane after simple 'tap' on flight attendant's shoulder

Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame member Terrell Davis accused United Airlines of "mistreatment" after he was removed from a flight in mid-July.

Davis told reporters he was stripped of his dignity when he was arrested on a flight in front of his wife and children.

"I was powerless. I couldn't do anything," he told CNN.

'I believe if I were not a black man, I wouldn't have been in handcuffs.'

The incident occurred during a flight from Denver to Orange County, California, when Davis said that he gave a simple "tap" on a flight attendant's shoulder after the airline employee "either didn’t hear or ignored his request" for some ice and "continued past our row," Davis recalled.

"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 on Instagram July 15. "He shouted, 'Don’t hit me,' and left the cart to hurriedly approach the front of the plane. I was confused, as were the passengers in front of me who witnessed the exchange. I thought nothing of it other than this particular employee was incredibly rude and blatantly wrong in his accusations of me hitting him."

Davis went on to say that he thought that was the end of the incident until he was handcuffed and taken off the flight in front of his family after the plane landed. He later claimed he would not have received the same treatment if he were not black.

"I believe if I were not a black man, I wouldn't have been in handcuffs until they found out exactly what happened," Davis said, according to NBC News.

The news network also said the FBI confirmed that agents responded to "an allegation of a violent assault" on the United flight.

United Airlines told CNN that the flight attendant had been "removed" from duty while the company closely reviewed the matter.

"This is clearly not the kind of travel experience we strive to provide, and we have reached out to Mr. Davis' team to apologize," the airline said.

Nearly two weeks later, Davis revealed he had received a letter from United Airlines banning him from using the airline during its investigation.

The letter from United Airlines was posted to Davis' Instagram account Tuesday, and the letter said the airline's policy is to "delay or refuse any passenger whose conduct or condition threatens the safety of the employees and passengers."

The statement added, "Based on the nature of the reported incident that occurred on UA1061 on July 13, 2024, this shall serve as a notice that you are not permitted to fly on United Airlines or any regional carrier operating as United Express until a review of the incident by United's Passenger Incident Review Committee has occurred."

Davis added in the caption of the Instagram post that he was placed on United's "No Fly List after it was determined I did nothing wrong and was released."

He added, "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]."

'We have apologized to Mr. Davis for his experience and continue to review our handling of incidents like this.'

NBC News also reported that on Tuesday — the same day Davis' follow-up Instagram post went live — United rescinded its travel ban on Davis and fired the flight attendant: "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."

However, the ordeal is still not finished, according to Davis' legal team at Stinar, Gould, Grieco, and Hensley. The law firm made its own post on Instagram alleging that United didn't contact the firm regarding any removal of Davis from the temporary ban list.

"United has claimed that this information was already communicated to the Davis Family through his lawyers. This is blatantly false," the statement read. "We continue to be disappointed by the inappropriate and disrespectful handling of this horrific incident by United's communication and legal teams."

The statement also called for an "overhaul" of the United Airlines "leadership" while alleging that United has attempted to "discredit the timeline of events."

United Airlines told Blaze News that the day after the letter was sent to Davis, airline officials discussed with Davis' legal team that the ban 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," an unnamed spokesperson said.

According to United's own timeline, not only did the airline communicate to Davis' legal team the day after the initial letter was sent, it "communicated again" with Davis' legal team the next day about the letter being rescinded.

Lynn Smith — a public relations representative for Stinar, Gould, Grieco, and Hensley — provided Blaze News with the same statement from the firm's Instagram page. However, the spokeswoman added that United made "false claims" that "Mr. Stinar was informed of the travel ban being rescinded."

Parker Stinar is the founding and managing partner of the law firm.

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