FBI agents detained Denver Broncos Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis over the weekend after an incident that happened during a commercial plane flight. The flight was a United Airlines flight and it flew from Denver to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California.

Davis explained the situation on social media after he was released, saying that he is “stunned” by what happened. He says he was trying to get a flight attendant to help out with a request from a member of his family sitting next to him, and the flight attendant acted in what he said was a “rude” manner when Davis tapped him on the arm to try to get his attention.

The FBI’s Los Angeles office didn’t identify Davis by name in a statement they released about the action they took. They said their agents and some local police in Orange County “responded to a report about an incident that had occurred aboard a flight which required further investigation.” They said the person who was detained “was cooperative with law enforcement and was released to continue his travels.”

Davis says he is “in shock over the traumatizing events.” He says he was traveling with his wife, his two sons and his daughter.

“During the beverage service, my son politely requested a cup of ice. The flight attendant either didn’t hear or ignored his request and continued past our row. I calmly reached behind me and lightly tapped his arm to get his attention to again ask for a cup of ice for my son,” Davis wrote in the social media post.

Davis says right after he tapped the flight attendant on the arm, the man shouted “Don’t hit me” and moved to another part of the plane. Davis says the flight attendant was “incredibly rude and blatantly wrong in his accusations of me hitting him” and he didn’t interact with the attendant for the rest of the flight.

Before passengers were allowed off the plane Davis says the captain asked everyone to remain seated and that’s when the law enforcement officers came on the plane, handcuffed Davis and escorted him off the plane without providing a reason why.

Soon after the questioning started in the airport Davis says the FBI told him that they agreed with Davis that the flight attendant made an inaccurate accusation. He says they apologized to him and then released him.

He says he is “humiliated, embarrassed, powerless, and angry.”  

“I refuse to stand by without speaking out on this disgusting display of injustice and deplorable treatment by United Airlines,” Davis said.

Davis said his legal team is reaching out to the company United Airlines.

“I demand a thorough and proper investigation into the flight attendant who blatantly lied and placed undue harm on me and my family,” he said.

An attorney for Davis said the FBI questioned other passengers and United crew before apologizing and letting Davis go. They say they are probably pursuing litigation in the matter. Davis said in his post that it was a traumatizing experience for his wife and children that, “cannot be undone.”

Davis has become a successful businessman in his years after the NFL. He is a partner in a financial firm Alpha 1. 

Metropolitan State University of Denver marketing senior lecturer Darrin Duber-Smith says, “I don’t really see any long-term impact on Terrell or what he’s doing.” 

Davis retired from the NFL in 2001. 

“It’s a very long time in culture, so you know, he’s not a current star. He’s got a business. It’s not exactly well known, it’s not a consumer business,” said Duber-Smith. “He doesn’t have a consumer goods company, so he doesn’t have to worry about being thrown off shelves or anything. It’s very clear that really he was the victim in this whole thing.”

United Airlines however has to make amends, said Duber-Smith, “I think that at this point the reputational issue is more of a united issue than anything that Terrell Davis really has here… United’s done the right thing so far. But they’re going to have to negotiate with TD, see what he wants, because, you know, being taken into custody is something that you never forget. It’s a low point in your life.”

Following the publication of this article, United Media Relations provided the following response to CBS Colorado’s inquiry:

This is clearly not the kind of travel experience we strive to provide, and we have reached out to Mr. Davis’s team to apologize. We have removed the flight attendant from duty while we closely review this matter.

Davis signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in the mid-1990s and retired due to injuries seven seasons later. He is in the Broncos Ring of Fame as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame. During his pro career he was named NFL MVP one time and Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XXXII. In 1998 he had a 2,000 rushing yard season, something very few running backs have attained.