Video shows ex-Bronco Terrell Davis taken off United flight in cuffs, lawyers promise suit

Lawyers for former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis released video Tuesday of an incident on a United Airlines flight that saw the two-time Super Bowl champion escorted off the plane in handcuffs.

The video, apparently shot by a bystander, shows law enforcement officers handcuffing the Pro Football Hall of Famer at the end of a United Airlines flight from Denver to Orange County, California earlier this month.

Davis was traveling with his family when his son asked for a cup of ice during beverage service, according to an Instagram post Davis wrote after the incident.

"I calmly reached behind me and lightly tapped (a flight attendant’s) arm to get his attention to again ask for a cup of ice for my son,” Davis wrote. "He shouted, ‘Don’t hit me,’ and left the cart to hurriedly approach the front of the plane."

ADVERTISEMENT

Davis was escorted off the plane by personnel from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, at John Wayne Airport. Agents apologized to Davis after questioning, according to the Instagram post.

"FBI agents and law enforcement partners at Orange County's John Wayne Airport responded to a report regarding an incident that had occurred aboard a flight which required further investigation." representatives for the FBI and John Wayne Airport said last week in a statement to USA TODAY Sports. "One individual was detained for questioning, was cooperative with law enforcement and was released to continue his travels."

The Orange County Sheriff's Department, which provides police services to the airport, directed questions to the FBI who pointed to their previous statement late Tuesday night.

Davis's lawyers promise lawsuit

Davis demanded a, "thorough and proper investigation into the flight attendant," in the Instagram post.

ADVERTISEMENT

The company issued a statement last week saying that it had reached out to Davis' team to apologize and had removed the flight attendant from duty pending a review of the incident. Representatives for the airline said that the company did not, "have anything new to share," Tuesday.

Terrell Davis, former Denver Bronco running-back, speaks at the They're Off! Luncheon, the official corporate kick-off of the 2022 Kentucky Derby Festival, on April 22, 2022.
Terrell Davis, former Denver Bronco running-back, speaks at the They're Off! Luncheon, the official corporate kick-off of the 2022 Kentucky Derby Festival, on April 22, 2022.

Parker Stinar, managing partner of the law firm representing Davis, said the firm will be filing a lawsuit against the airline in a statement that accompanied the video.

"This video confirms the harrowing tale of multiple law enforcement agents, including the FBI, boarding the plane and apprehending a shocked, terrified, humiliated, and compliant Mr. Davis in front of his wife, Tamiko, minor children, and more than one hundred passengers," the statement read. "Only through legal proceedings can we uncover the truth and make United Airlines answer for the systemic shortcomings that culminated in this traumatic incident."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Terrell Davis video shows back escorted off United flight in handcuffs