NEWARK, NJ – JULY 13: United Airlines airplanes wait at gates at Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport on July 13, 2021 in Newark, New Jersey.
A fight reportedly between a former NFL player and a worker at Newark Liberty International Airport was captured on cellphone video by witnesses, showing the bloodied employee knocked down multiple times.
Video shows the worker for United Ground Express, a subsidiary of United Airlines, confronting the other man near a baggage check-in area at the New Jersey airport just after 11 a.m. Thursday, Port Authority Police said.
The passenger was said to be improperly using a wheelchair to move his luggage around. The worker confronted the man, identified by Port Authority as Brendan Langley — who according to TMZ is a former NFL cornerback who most recently played wide receiver for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.
While it is not clear what occurred immediately before the brawl, video recorded on a cellphone by a witness showed the worker appearing to smack Langley in the head. Langley then smacks the worker right back, and the two trade words.
The worker dodges a few blows from Langley, the video shows, before he is hit and shoved back. The worker continues to try and fight, even hitting Langley again in the face.
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After asking a witness, "You see that s--t?" Langley goes after the worker, punching him in the head multiple times. The man, now bleeding above his left eye, falls back into the luggage area, the video shows.
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The employee gets back up and starts to walk over to Langley, before two other employees intervene and prevent the fight from going any further.
In a statement, United Airlines said that the company "does not tolerate violence of any kind at our airports or on board our planes and we are working with local authorities in their investigation of this matter," before referring all additional questions to law enforcement.
The airline later said that the worker, who has not been identified, was terminated by United Ground Express.
Langley was removed from the airport by police, according to United. He was charged with assault, Port Authority Police said. Langley was released without entering a plea, court records show, with a virtual court appearance scheduled for July 20.
