U.S. track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson was kicked off an American Airlines flight following an argument with a flight attendant on Saturday.
Richardson took to Instagram to shed light on the situation, which she claims started because a flight attendant was “disrespecting” her.
“Prior to the video this gentleman asked me to get off a cell phone call, I did,” Richardson said on her Instagram Story. “I stated to him I didn’t like the tone he used with me. Following that while standing in front of me doing the safety protocols he continued to lean over to look at my phone. He asked to see that my phones were in airplane more at this point. He demanded that me show him. Which I did in front of him.”
“I want to take responsibility for my actions,” she added. “I’m not looking for an excuse.”
“I would like to say to my fans and my family and my sponsorship, to the haters, too, I apologize,” she said. “As much as I’m disappointed, I know that when I step on that track, I don’t represent myself, I represent a community that has shown me great support, great love.
In a statement, per NBC News, an American Airlines spokesperson said, “We reaccomodated the customer on a later flight and a member of our team has reached out to learn more.”
