NFL’s Hall of Famer Terrell Davis says United banned him after flight incident

Professional soccer player Terrell Davis posted an email from United Airlines on Tuesday saying he had been banned from flying until an investigation into an incident earlier this month was complete. But United officials said the ban was sent weeks ago and then rescinded.

Davis, who played for the Denver Broncos during his NFL career, said he was handcuffed and removed from a flight on July 13 after he lightly tapped a flight attendant on the arm, prompting the employee to say, “Don’t hit me” and quickly walk away.

Davis, who was later released, criticized United for making him feel “humiliated” and demanded an investigation. The airline later apologized.

“My family will never forget me and I will never forget being taken off a plane in handcuffs just because I asked for a cup of ice cream,” Davis wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

The day after the incident, the United email banning Davis was generated and sent, United said in a statement. The ban was lifted the next day, which was communicated to Davis’ team, the airline said.

According to Davis’ attorney, Parker Stinar, Davis initially did not see the email imposing the travel ban and it was not until Tuesday, when Davis posted the correspondence, that they received notice that the ban had been lifted.

“We released the email due to the lack of response from United on all fronts,” Stinar said in a statement.

United Airlines said the flight attendant is no longer employed by the company, adding: “We have apologized to Mr. Davis for his experience and continue to evaluate our approach to incidents like this.”

Davis won two Super Bowls with the Broncos and was one of the NFL’s strongest offensive threats in his early career. In 1998, he became part of the small group of players to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. His later career was hampered by injuries, but he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2017, 10 years after his retirement.