An American Airlines passenger tried to get a record-breaking NFL athlete removed from a plane citing his “higher status”.
Desmond Howard spent 11 seasons in the NFL and holds the record for most punt return yards in a single season. He was awarded the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 1997 and has also worked as a TV commentator.
But on a recent flight, a fellow passenger attempted to trump this with his “superior” status.
In a video shared to Twitter that Mr Howard filmed while sitting next to the gentleman in question, the 52-year-old told followers about the experience.
“An ‘entitled’ passenger tried to get me removed from @americanair flight because I was ‘sick’,” his caption begins.
“To justify his request he told the supervisor, ‘I am sure my status is higher than his so you should remove him.’ After I took this video, he asked the FA if he could switch seats,” he continued.
In the video, Mr Howard explains that, before takeoff, a supervisor approached the man sitting next him.
“So I’m on this American Airlines flight and before we took off, the supervisor comes up and she speaks to the guy sitting next to me. She says, ‘You want to talk to me?’ He says, ‘Yes, I think you should remove this gentleman from the plane because he’s sick’ – talking about me.
“I said, ‘I’m sorry – are you a doctor?’ He says, ‘Well, you’ve been coughing all over the place’ – this is before we’ve even taken off, right. I said, ‘Well, you can leave the plane, take another flight, because I’m not leaving.’
“All I was doing was clearing my throat.”
He continues on to say: “Guess what card he tries to play?”.
“He said, ‘I’m sure if you check our status, my status is higher than his is’,” prompting Mr Howard to widen his eyes in disbelief, and pan to his left where viewers can see the complainant sitting.
Shaking his head, he then says, “The caucasity of him. Unbelievable,” before wishing everyone a “happy Sunday”.
Social media commenters were united in their astonishment with the passenger’s behaviour.
“This guy had a chance to sit next to a legend and this is what he does with that opportunity,” wrote one.
Another commented: “In this case, Heisman bronze is better than Platinum,” a reference to the annual award bestowed to the most outstanding player in college football, of which Mr Howard was a previous recipient.
In response to the video, which has been liked over 12,000 times, American Airlines commented: “We're always happy to have you on board with us!”
The Independent has contacted American Airlines for comment.
