Shortly after Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis said he had been banned from United Airlines following an incident in which a flight attendant got him removed from a plane in handcuffs, United said Davis isn’t banned, and the flight attendant isn’t employed by United anymore.
Davis posted on social media an email from United informing him he was banned from the airline, but United says that email was outdated and no longer applies after an investigation cleared Davis of any wrongdoing.
“Mr. Davis received this letter the day after the incident,” the airline told the Los Angeles Times. “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 Davis’ team that it had been rescinded.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.”
But Davis’s law firm says United reached out to rescind the ban only after Davis posted about it on social media.
“Up until today, we had received no correspondence or communication indicating that the travel ban had been rescinded,” the firm said. “Mr. Davis did not see the initial correspondence until recently, and we have released the email because of the lack of response from United across the board. We can confirm we had received no rescinding of this ban until today, just moments ago, and only after Mr. Davis posted his statement.”
Davis says he was on a flight with his family when he tapped a flight attendant’s arm to inform him that Davis’s son needed some ice. The flight attendant then accused Davis of hitting him, and when the plane landed, FBI agents boarded the flight, handcuffed Davis, and escorted him off. Davis says law enforcement quickly confirmed he had done nothing wrong and released him, but that United has not been so quick to right its wrong.
