[Blind Gossip] An interesting case of harassment was recently filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
A professional athlete is suing United Airlines for assault and sexual harassment.
The anonymous NFL player claims that he was on a red-eye flight to Newark, New Jersey when a female passenger assaulted him.
Here is the front page of the complaint:
The women was allegedly “grabbing and groping his quads and then stroking her hand across his lap towards the inside of his leg near his gen*tals.”
The player claims to have asked flight attendants for help at least four times as the woman’s advances intensified, but they failed to take action.
The woman was not moved to another seat until her actions escalated to the point where she ripped of his face mask and grabbed his privates.
Sexual harassment and assault cases usually involve a man harassing a woman. While assault is assault – and should certainly be taken seriously regardless of who assaulted whom – the gender and profession of the victim in this case provides a fascinating “dog bites man” twist.
Did the flight attendants fail to take action on his complaints because he was a man? Or because he was [probably] a large, powerful, athletic man? Or because the plane was too full and there were no other seats available?
It is unclear if the NFL player knew the woman. The suit alleges that the woman was drunk and taking prescription pills. How did the NFL player know that? He certainly could have witnessed her drinking, but did he see her taking pills?
Anyway, it’s scary enough to fly nowadays without worrying about other passengers harassing you and assaulting you and ripping off your mask.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out!
Similar: Helmet Head
Athlete and/or Team:
[Optional] If you were the NFL player, would you have filed a law suit against the airline? Why or why not?
joydroma says
love you gay .. this footbaal may grab you. lol.
3rdWatch says
I think it Odell Beckham Jr.
He’s an ex-Giants WR who was traded to the Cleveland Browns before last season. He was arguably the most well-known player on the Giants, except possibly Eli. A part of the end zone in the Browns Stadium is nicknamed “The Dawg Pound”. It’s not at all unusual for pro athletes to play in one city and live in another. For example, LeBron James still lived in Akron, OH during the offseason while he was playing for the Miami Heat.
queenpin says
I think it might be Jabrill Peppers. Whoever it was, he absolutely did right to refer it to the flight attendants. Also did right to sue.
kitkatk885 says
“Dog bites man” ? Is this a clue for michael Vick? Well, no one deserves to be harassed, but knowing what horrendous torture he put innocent animals through…..it’ll be quite the struggle for me to give a flying f about him being groped on a plane 🙄
queenpin says
I’m guessing Jabrill Peppers. Whoever it is, he was right to refer the matter to the flight attendants. Also, he was right to sue.
bubbasbbq says
He was smart. If he had laid a hand on the woman, he would have instantly became the bad guy and been arrested for battery. It was up to the airlines to resolve the situation.
lunadogmom says
I don’t know who it was but here is the problem. If the woman was drunk and on pills, the athlete couldn’t reason with her. His only two options were to get away or get physical. As a big powerfully built man, he would’ve run the risk of being blamed for assault and destroyed in the court of public opinion. Too many people want to automatically believe the woman is the victim. As the saying goes, “The lie has circumnavigated the globe thrice while the truth still is lacing up its shoes.”
badgerette85 says
Not certain of the athlete, however if what he said truly happened, then I believe his lawsuit is warranted. Sexual harassment is not divided by gender. It is equally wrong and traumatic. I do think
think it would be wonderful of him to donate any potential payouts to a non-prof related to sexual violence.
deepsigh says
Absolutely he should! If he asked 4 times and got no help..? If he’d smacked her hand away and shouted at her to get her to stop…..he would have been the story. NFL player assaults woman on flight. I hope that this makes the airline take this seriously. Sexual assault is not okay under any circumstance.
gc02ef says
I don’t know who this is, but why are there two John Doe’s? Did she attack two people?
luddite2 says
Yes, she was grabbing the 2 men sharing the row with her. The men did not know each other.
parkland45 says
Yes, I would have filed a lawsuit and also pressed charges of sexual assault.
jerseymom says
This was a Newark, NJ bound flight and the player lives in Essex, NJ – so it has to be a Jets or Giants player. The female assailant admitted to being drunk and taking pills. She actually assaulted two men during the attack.
Not sure if I would have filed a lawsuit given the publicity, but this should have been taken care of immediately by the flight crew. Sexual assault is assault – no matter what the victim looks like. The player is a victim and should have care, rights and respect.
omgimbackagain says
Flying to Newark? A NY Giant? No idea.
spo3131 says
Mike Vick?
Baileygirl says
Yes. On a plane where everyone is already stressed and masked, the flight attendants should have asked the woman to go back to her seat and if that didn’t work then re-route plane and blame this idiot woman for making a mess of everyone’s plans.
The NFL player was probably trying to catch some shut eye on that red eye flight and a drunk and perhaps medicated woman assaulted him.
If airlines are no longer handling rude pasengers……
squirrelmistress says
i think the woman was sitting next to him.
kimmukwest says
Tom Brady
Yes, no matter the gender, they failed to protect a passenger from an ongoing complaint.
spookie says
Indeed. The same thing happened to me on a flight when I was a teenager. The stranger next to me started groping me when he thought I was asleep. In this instance the crew were fantastic – moved me to another seat, had the police take the guy off the plane once we’d landed and had a full investigation. He was banned from the airline for life.
michelex23 says
Michael Vick due to the dog bites man comment.
ChattyCathie says
Good point!
Whisper says
Not sure who the athlete is but I can understand his point. If she was groping him, and he must be very strong, it would have been worse if he had punched her or just continuously pushed her away. She sounds like a persistent drunk. The pills? She might have been washing him down with booze. Don’t know why the attendant did nothing.
lahteb says
I don’t know who this is. However, if this guy had taken matters into his own hands by yelling (at the very least) and waking up the entire red eye, things would be a whole lot worse for him.
zappy2050 says
Not to mention HIM being charged with physical assault charges.
He did the best he could and he did the right thing.
Hopefully it is settled so he doesn’t have to reveal himself. The courts won’t but the tabloids will.