An ex-NFL player was charged with assault and an airline employee fired following a fight between the athlete and a United Airlines employee at Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey.
A video of the altercation was released online and quickly went viral. The video showed Brendan Langley coming to blows with the employee in what appears to be the ticketing and check-in area.
The video was captured by a bystander and released by TMZ.
In the video above, Langley and the worker were already hitting each other in anger when recording began.
The worker pushed Langley, who responded by slapping the worker.
They proceeded to punch each other as the fight escalated. Eventually, the employee was knocked over and fell behind the counter.
As the employee stood, his head was bloodied. Despite this, he looked like he was ready to go for another round with Langley.
Then the video ends leaving viewers with a lot of questions.
Yooo that Brendan Langley video 😭
— ronaldonater (@ronaldonater) May 24, 2022
NFL?!? https://t.co/7LQ6xDDODF
— Scam Likely (@Yurmajesty) May 24, 2022
Rumor has it ...Langley’s luggage needed the wheel chair more than a HUMAN BEING
Fired the wrong employee! https://t.co/VV3HsguEw9
— AbbeySomethingNormal (@SomethingAbbey) May 24, 2022
Grounded! United Airlines employee is fired for slapping ex-NFL player Brendan Langleyhttps://t.co/qdwh2e0O4w
— 🥀_Imposter_🕸️ (@Imposter_Edits) May 24, 2022
The police said Langley, a former kick returner for the Denver Broncos, was arrested on an assault charge related to the incident. While the United Airlines worker has not been charged yet, he was fired by the airline.
While it may be difficult to tell from this video, some alleged witnesses are saying Langley didn’t throw the first punch. He claimed—and some versions of the video seem to show—the employee is the one who attacked first.
This whole thing started because Langley was using a wheelchair to haul his luggage throughout the airport instead of a cart.
While an incredibly ableist thing to do, it probably shouldn’t lead to a violent brawl.
Langley took to Twitter to plead his case.
u can clearly see soooo many @united employees watching everything unfold while im basically begging for help. craziest part not one of them helped De-escalate the situation! it was like they wanted it to happen. like i had a target on my back
— 🥈🥇 (@trllang) May 23, 2022
Anyone have any solid legal counsel? My boy @trllang looking to sue @united for assault by an employee, @EWRairport for illegally arresting him without mirandizing him and holding him against his will, as well as @TMZ for defamation and slander! SMH https://t.co/JUeFXby3yO
— Su’a (@iammsuzy) May 23, 2022
every angle shows me walking away from buddy, i had a whole ass flight that morning i did not want any smoke! he followed me all the way down to the kiosk just to cause me bodily harm. im honestly still shocked
— 🥈🥇 (@trllang) May 23, 2022
A lot of these headlines making Brendan Langley out to be the bad guy.
Airline dude put his hands on him, he got what he deserved. 🥊
— 🏈 Beat Miami(OH)-Sept 3🏈 (@univerky) May 23, 2022
You can say whatever you want. We can have words. But the second you violate my space and touch me…we have a problem. If there was an issue with him using the chair, leave it at that. But That airline employee clearly wanted a problem and got one
— The Great (@IAMKUZIN) May 24, 2022
Didn’t even realize this was ex-Broncos Brendan Langley https://t.co/0LS10WnajP
— Steven Kriz (@skrizPO) May 23, 2022
Langley currently plays in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders.
The team is looking into the situation and refuses to comment without more details.
As for the wheelchair at the root of the confrontation, disabled individuals rely on them for mobility. Using them as carts can leave an injured or disabled person stranded.
Get a luggage cart or carry your own stuff.
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