Former NFL star Gosder Cherilus has been accused of urinating on an elderly woman during a flight from Boston, US, to Ireland, forcing the plane to turn around.
Cherilus, 40, from Massachusetts, appeared at East Boston District Court on Monday where he pleaded not guilty to disorderly conduct, disturbing flight crew and resisting arrest. The sportsman used to play for Detroit Lions and retired in 2017 after a near-decade-long career as an offensive lineman.
Court documents state an hour into the Delta Air Lines international flight on Sunday, August 18, Cherilus approached 78-year-old Maine woman Connee Bush and “fully exposed his genitals…before emptying his entire bladder for approximately 20 seconds”.
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(Image: AP)
This “egregious behaviour” by the 6ft 6ins and 280 pound Cherilus caused “alarm and extreme shock” among other passengers, court papers say.
Witnesses tried to stop the urinating man “by grabbing his hands from his genitals and demanding that he return to his seat.”
Speaking to NBC, alleged victim Connee Bush said it was a “very weird experience”.
(Image: WBTS)
“[Cherilus] emptied his bladder on me,” said Bush. “[When he was asked to stop] he said ‘don’t touch me, don’t touch me’.”
The woman claimed she had no idea who the former NFL player was until he appeared in court yesterday (Monday, August 19), to answer multiple charges.
Court documents allege after relieving himself, Cherilus confronted a 68-year-old Utah man and “began arguing over the seat” before striking him “with his right hand”. The action ended when Cherilus returned to his seat “where he passed out”.
Massachusetts State Police responded to a call from Delta who reported “an unruly passenger who urinated on another passenger on board.”
(Image: FlightAware)
“Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful behaviour and will cooperate with law enforcement to that end,” the airline said. “We apologise to our customers for the delay in their travel.”
Cherilus put out a statement about his alleged actions on the flight, which was nearly four hours late.
“In preparation for the unexpected overnight flight, I took a sleeping medication that I don’t normally use,” he wrote. “Which resulted in behaviour that is not representative of my character. I would like to apologise to the passengers and flight crew.”
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