United Airlines worker reportedly fired after trying in vain to fight ex-NFL player at airport in one-sided slugfest caught on video



The United Airlines worker caught on video fighting a passenger — who turned out to be an ex-NFL player — at an airport last week has been fired, the New York Post reported.

“United Ground Express informed us that the employee has been terminated,” an airline representative said in an email, the Post said, adding that United Ground Express is a connection subsidiary for United Airlines.

What's the background?

The unidentified UA employee squared off against Brendan Langley, 27, about 11 a.m. Thursday at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, the paper said. It's unclear who instigated the dust-up, but the Daily Mail said it's believed to have stemmed from Langley using a wheelchair to transport his luggage instead of a luggage cart.

Langley was the Denver Broncos' 2017 third-round draft pick, played cornerback and returned kicks, and appeared in 16 games for the Broncos in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He's now with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League.

Initially Langley appears to get the better of the employee, slapping him once and punching him several times in the face, sending him backward into the UA counter. But the employee nevertheless marches forward, puts up his fists, and slaps Langley in the face, too:

Image source: TMZ video screenshot

After getting slapped, the Langley hollers, "You saw that s**t?" and punches the employee hard in the face, knocking him backward again into the counter. Langley then lands a second punch, and this wallop sends the worker behind the desk, after which he tumbles over an object — his feet swinging back and above his head — and then halls flat on the floor:

Image source: TMZ video screenshot

Image source: TMZ video screenshot

Despite his bloody face and appearing woozy, the UA worker manages to stagger to his feet and come back out and confront Langley again:

Image source: TMZ video screenshot

"He wants more!" Langley hollers.

No other violence ensues as another individual — apparently a UA employee — comes into the frame and puts her hand up as if to call an end to the fighting.

Langley loudly adds, "He works at the airport, and he assaulted me!"

Here's the clip. (Content warning: Language):

What happened next?

Langley was arrested and charged with simple assault, TMZ reported, citing police. But the outlet added that the airline employee wasn't arrested despite Langley's claim of not throwing the first punch.

The football player had plenty to say about the incident on Twitter, noting on the day of the incident that "how u start a fight w someone, get beat up to the point where EMS gotta come do ur stitches on sight & somehow u get up saying the other person is weak lol the way ppl perceive things is funny ..."

Langley also called Newark airport "the devil" and told United Airlines "y'all ain't off the hook… worst customer experience in the entirety of my life on Heaven!!!!"

Responding to a TMZ report on the fight, Langley added "its crazy how u can get assaulted by an actual airline employee and defend urself, but media will run the narrative that they want to. This is the problem in our society today smh; don't believe everything u read! @TMZ tbh this is sh**ty of y'all. Taking another man's pain as a joke."

He also said "u can clearly see soooo many @united employees watching everything unfold while I'm 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."

Langley added that "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. I'm honestly still shocked."

Anything else?

"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," the carrier told the Daily Mail in a statement.

The Calgary Stampeders said they are investigating the incident, the Post said, citing CNN: “The Calgary Stampeders football club is aware of the reports concerning Brendan Langley ... The team is currently looking into the matter in order to learn the full details and will have no further comment until the investigation is complete."

The paper added that Port Authority police have not responded to its inquiry about possible charges against the fired worker.

Former NFL player helps stop carjacking in front of daycare center he operates with his wife: 'I was trying to pull him out and slam the door on his leg'



When would-be carjackers saw former NFL cornerback Robert Blanton bolting out of Kiddie Academy daycare in Edina, Minnesota, last Wednesday and running toward them, they had the right idea in trying to get away.

Image source: WCCO-TV video screenshot

Blanton, 32, runs the daycare center with his wife, Erin, and was inside the facility with his daughter when he saw a woman struggling with one of the carjackers outside, WCCO-TV reported.

Image source: WCCO-TV video screenshot

What went down?

Edina police told the station that two men confronted the woman around 4 p.m. outside Kiddie Academy, and one of them demanded her keys. She complied, WCCO said, after which she grabbed her purse and ran toward the locked entrance of the daycare center.

Problem is, the carjacker wanted her purse, too, and he ran after the woman, the station said.

Blanton stands six feet and one inch tall, played at 208 pounds, made 177 tackles during his career, and didn't retire too long ago — so he can still hoof it like all pro defensive backs as you can see from surveillance video of the incident.

“I just bolted out the door,” Blanton told WCCO.

When Blanton got outside, the suspect ran and jumped into a vehicle where the other carjacker was waiting, the station said: “I was trying to pull him out and slam the door on his leg."

Image source: WCCO-TV video screenshot

Blanton can be heard on outdoor surveillance video yelling at the carjackers to get out of the vehicle, WCCO said, adding that Blanton said they tried running him over until he had to let go, and the suspects drove away.

“Attacking a parent at pick up from preschool is one of the more vulnerable people we have in our community,” he told station afterward.

The suspects' vehicle had been taken during a carjacking earlier in the day in Richfield, WCCO reported, adding that it was found abandoned later in St. Louis Park. No weapons were involved, and no one was hurt in the incident, the station said.

He says he's not a hero

Blanton — who played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2012 to 2015 and then for the Buffalo Bills from 2016 to 2017 before retiring — told WCCO he's "definitely not a hero" for doing what he did.

But the mother is, he said.

“I think the mom is a hero for fighting back and standing up for herself and allowing time [for me] to come and help her," Blanton added to the station.

Anything else?

Police are still searching for the suspects, who got away in a Chevy Traverse with Minnesota license plates reading NLV852, according to WCCO.