American Airlines apologizes after accusing pro basketball players of stealing blankets

An American Airlines plane.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Fresh off of the NAACP warning black travelers against flying American Airlines, the company is apologizing for kicking two black Memphis Hustle players off a flight from Dallas to Sioux Falls Sunday night.

The Memphis Hustle is an NBA G League team. On their way to the coach section of the plane, guard Marquis Teague and forward Trahson Burrell were given blankets by two passengers in first class, The Associated Press reports. A black flight attendant accused them of stealing the blankets, and the men were forced off the plane. Hustle assistant coach Darnell Lazare tweeted the flight attendant saw "young black athletes" with the blankets and the first comment was, "Did you steal them?" "How about you teach people to get the facts first before jumping to conclusions," Lazare said.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.