Former NFL player Gosder Cherilus was arrested over the weekend after causing an alleged disturbance on a Delta flight bound for Dublin, Ireland.
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According to Boston 25 News, Cherilus was on his way to Ireland on Saturday, Aug. 17, when things got weird on the flight. The former football player reportedly had an incident that resulted in him allegedly urinating on a fellow passenger.
Gosder Cherilus was then arrested after the flight was rerouted to Boston’s Logan International Airport. He was charged with disturbing a flight crew and disorderly conduct.
“Delta flight 154 from Boston to Dublin on August 17 returned to Boston Logan due to an unruly customer and was met by law enforcement,” a Delta spokesperson told the media outlet. “Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful behavior and will cooperate with law enforcement to that end. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”
The Delta spokesperson added that the passengers on the canceled flight boarded a plane on Sunday, Aug. 18, and landed in Dublin the next morning.
In a statement to CBS News, the police recounted escorting Cherilus off the aircraft. “Troopers verbally commanded Cherilus to leave the plane, but he became irate and uncooperative. Eventually, Troopers escorted Cherilus to the jet bridge and placed him under arrest for Disorderly Conduct and Disturbing a Flight Crew.”
Gosder Cherilus was the 17th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played for nine seasons in the NFL and started in 116 of 132 games. He played for the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The football player ended up retiring from the game in 2016.
Gosder Cherilus Releases Statement Following the Ireland Flight Incident
Following the Ireland flight incident, Gosder Cherilus released a statement, sharing his side of what happened on the aircraft.
“I’d like to address the media reports about me that surfaced today regarding a situation that occurred onboard a flight to Ireland this past weekend,” he wrote the statement, which was posted on his social media accounts on Monday, Aug. 19. “The flight was unexpectedly delayed for approximately four hours, and it did not take off until after 12:30AM.”
Gosder Cherilus then shared what may have been the cause for his outlandish behavior – sleep medication. In preparation for the unexpected overnight flight, I took a sleep medication that I don’t normally use,” he explained. “Which resulted in behavior that is not representative of my character.”
Cherilus went on to say he was sorry for his action. “I would like to apologize to the passengers and flight crew,” he added.
Fans quickly rallied around him, praising him for his apology. “Good for you to be accountable,” one fan wrote. “Those who know you will see this as a mistake. In the over ten years I’ve [known] you, you’ve been a kind and gentle person.”
Another fan added, “I appreciate your apology. When we met you, you seemed like a very nice person, and the first thing we thought was it was probably a problem with a sleeping pill. Hope all gets sorted out for you.”