Ex-NFL Player Arrested For Viral Altercation With United Airlines Employee
May 23 2022, Published 2:12 p.m. ET
The airline passenger involved in a violent altercation with a United Airlines check-in employee at Newark Liberty International Airport has been identified.
According to The Daily Mail, the customer arrested and charged with simple assault is Brendan Langley. Formerly a cornerback with the Denver Broncos, Langley was released by the team, bounced around a bit including a stint on the Seattle Seahawks practice squad, before switching to wide receiver.
Earlier this year, he signed with Canadian Football League team the Calgary Stampeders. The CFL season is set to begin next month.
Video of the May 19 altercation went viral over the weekend. In the footage, the United Airlines male employee clearly slaps Langley first. His reaction is one of disbelief, exclaiming, “You saw that sh*t?!”
The employee then seems to egg Langley on, begging for a fight. Langley delivers, connecting with several blows to the head.
The employee then went tumbling onto the luggage cart before the footage ends.
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The video of the fight had been viewed more than 12.7 million times. This is certainly not the kind of publicity United Airlines was hoping for out of Newark. On Friday, the airline officially opened the largest of its United Club lounges at the airport, a 480-seat facility.
According to the Mail, Langley was arrested shortly after the incident, around 11 a.m. May 19. The outlet also has a rather wild explanation for the whole thing: Langley, allegedly, used a wheelchair to transport his luggage to the check-in area, rather than paying for a cart. This may have triggered the behavior of the United employee.
The worker was taken to hospital for treatment, and was not charged. In a statement, the airline said: “United Airlines does not tolerate violence of any kind at our airports or on board our planes and we are working with local authorities to further investigate this matter.”