Olympic sprinter Sha Cari Richardson recently posted a series of videos to her Instagram account alleging that she was unfairly harassed by an American Airlines flight attendant. But the reactions of his fellow passengers show that not everyone agreed with his complaints.
In one of the videos, Richardson accuses the flight attendant of “harassing” her when he asked passengers to turn off electronic devices before takeoff. She expresses her frustration, saying, “I’m recording me, but you jumped in my video, so I caught you because you jumped in my video. You’re harassing me at this point, so I think you should stop.”
Another video shows Richardson having a lengthy discussion with the flight attendant, who is then told that the captain has asked him to remove him from the flight. Despite their explanations, Ms Richardson maintained her innocence and felt insulted by the flight attendant’s actions.
Throughout the incident, Richardson’s behavior became disruptive, including insulting some of his fellow passengers who expressed disappointment in his actions. To her surprise, when she finally got off her plane, some of her passengers praised her for getting off.
Richardson continues to explain her position on social media and maintain that she was right. She suggested that American Airlines could be sued, alleging that not only were they threatened, but flight attendants were also targeted by innocent bystanders.
Mr Richardson noted the lack of support from the captain and expressed disappointment at the applause he received when he exited the plane.
In response to the incident, American Airlines issued a statement saying, “We reaccommodated the customer on a later flight, and a member of our team has reached out to learn more.”
It’s worth noting that Richardson has previously attributed her setbacks to racism. In 2021, she was suspended from competition after testing positive for marijuana, resulting in her removal from the U.S. Olympic team in Track and Field.
Despite the controversy surrounding Richardson, this incident showcases the mixed reactions from both the flight attendant and the passengers. While some may have sympathized with Richardson, there were others who supported the actions taken by the flight crew.
