Sebastian Joseph-Day, a defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Chargers, accused three TSA agents of sexually assaulting him just before a recent flight at the John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Calif.
The incident, which took place Friday morning, was a “dehumanizing” experience, according to the 28-year-old who won a 2022 Super Bowl ring with the Los Angeles Rams.
Joseph-Day took to Twitter to explain what transpired during the incident with the agents.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
“Then they told me I was the problem after [three] TSA agents swarmed me,” he added.
“I’m all for people doing their job well. But it was extremely unnecessary and dehumanizing. I travel a lot, for personal and work reasons. I’ve never experienced anything like that.”
“And when I do try to file a complaint they are making me jump through hoops to do so.”
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
The airport’s Twitter account swiftly responded to Joseph-Day's accusations:
Joseph-Day also added in his Twitter thread that the TSA agents threatened to call the authorities if he did not complete the search, one that made him uncomfortable.
“It’s one thing if they apologized after my concerns, but the supervisor threatened to call the sheriff on me if I didn’t finish the search after I expressed I was just violated & told me to watch my mouth. I don’t think it’s just a TSA issue.
“I’m not sharing this on Twitter for sympathy. I’m sharing this so this group of gentle[men] and staff aren’t allowed to do this ever again to another human being.”
TSA released a statement stating that it is aware of the allegations and is investigating them.
“TSA is aware of allegations made by a traveler who was screened by TSA officers at John Wayne Airport Friday morning. We are looking into the matter to determine if our procedures were followed and whether any corrective action needs to be taken," a TSA statement said.
“TSA remains committed to treating every traveler with dignity and respect while carrying out our security screening responsibilities.”
Joseph-Day, a Stroudsburg native who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Rutgers University, finished his first season with the Chargers in 2022. He had a career-high 56 tackles along with two sacks and an interception.
