Terrell Davis and his wife, Tamiko Nash, are opening up about a distressing incident in which the former Denver Broncos running back was handcuffed in front of their children on a recent United Airlines flight.
Davis initially recounted the details of the July 13 incident in an Instagram statement, claiming he was wrongfully removed from the airplane after a flight attendant accused him of hitting him. Davis clarified that he had only lightly tapped the crew member’s back to ask for a cup of ice for his son.
During a July 17 appearance on Good Morning America, Nash became visibly emotional while discussing the impact the incident had on their children. She recalled how law enforcement, including the FBI, approached Davis while he was still seated and immediately put handcuffs on him.
“Don’t fight it,” Davis remembered an agent telling him.
Nash continued, “I thought it was a joke, because what else could it be? I saw the agents come on, so of course, it caught my attention like everyone else. They just walked straight up to Terrell. I jumped out of my seat and said, ‘Wait a minute, what’s going on?’ I hopped over to the woman next to me and asked Terrell, ‘Are you joking?’”
She began to choke back tears as she recalled looking at her two sons, aged 13 and 11, who were watching their father get handcuffed in the aisle seat beside them. Their 9-year-old daughter was sitting next to Nash during the incident.
“I’m looking at my sons who are sitting right next to him, watching their dad being handcuffed. And what could we do? I’m asking them, ‘What is going on? Why are you doing this?’” she said. “No one helped me. We were just left to fend for ourselves on the flight while everyone was staring at us.”
Davis shared that he’s speaking out about the mistreatment he experienced to “effect change” and push United to take responsibility for its actions.
RELATED: United Airlines Issues Apology After Terrell Davis Was Removed From Flight in Handcuffs
“Knowing what happened to me, and how I felt – I felt demoralized, embarrassed, humiliated. I felt like my dignity was stripped from me right in front of my children and my family. I want United to be held accountable,” he said.
Davis’ attorneys, Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, confirmed that United still hasn’t contacted Davis with a personal apology since his Good Morning America appearance.
In his July 15 statement, Davis detailed the flight attendant’s reaction after he asked for a cup of ice for his son. Davis explained that the United employee did not hear his initial request, prompting him to “lightly tap” the flight attendant on the back to get his attention. The crew member then allegedly shouted, “Don’t hit me,” and rushed to the front of the airplane. Davis said he didn’t think much of the reaction other than believing the employee was “rude” until the flight landed at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California.
Once the plane landed, “six FBI and law enforcement agents boarded the plane” and handcuffed him. He was questioned and eventually released the same day.
“It was rightfully determined by the agents that this flight attendant was inaccurate in his accusations, and the agents profusely apologized, even offering to support me and my family in any way possible,” Davis added in his statement.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Tuesday, July 16, a spokesperson for United said that the airline had “reached out to Mr. Davis’s team to apologize” and confirmed that the flight attendant who accused Davis of hitting him has been removed from service.
