BOSTON – A former NFL player accused of drunkenly hitting one man and urinating on another during a flight from Boston to Dublin has been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, the Massachusetts State Police said Monday.
Gosder Cherilus, a former first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2008 and also played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was arrested early Sunday after the Delta Air Lines flight returned to Logan International Airport.
Troopers ordered the 40-year-old from Wakefield, near Boston, to leave the plane but he “became irate and uncooperative,” police said. He was then arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and disturbing a flight crew.
According to the police report, he appeared drunk when he boarded the plane, allegedly argued with the flight crew about his seat and an hour into the flight urinated on an elderly passenger. He then hit another passenger and took that passenger’s seat before passing out, the report says.
The Boston Globe said Cherilus was arraigned Monday in East Boston District Court.
“It’s pretty egregious what you did, as alleged,” Judge Debra A. DelVecchio told Cherilus.
A phone number could not be found for Cherilus. The Globe reports that he and his attorney, Brian Sullivan, did not speak to reporters as they left the court.
In a statement Monday, Delta confirmed there had been an “unruly customer” on the flight and that the other passengers were later flown to Dublin. The airline did not say how long the flight was delayed.
“Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful behavior and will cooperate with law enforcement to that end,” the company said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”
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In a bizarre incident, former NFL player Gosder Cherilus made headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Massachusetts State Police arrested Cherilus after he allegedly behaved disruptively on a flight from Boston to Dublin. A first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2008, Cherilus played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during his NFL career.
Reports suggest that Cherilus, who appeared drunk when boarding the plane, got into altercations with the flight crew over seating arrangements. The situation escalated when he reportedly urinated on an elderly passenger, assaulted another passenger, and then passed out in their seat mid-flight. The Boston Globe mentioned that Cherilus faced charges of disorderly conduct and disturbing a flight crew and was arraigned in East Boston District Court.
Amidst the chaos, Delta Air Lines confirmed the incident involving an “unruly customer” and apologized to other passengers for any disruption caused. The airline cooperated with authorities to handle the situation appropriately. Cherilus and his attorney chose not to address the media after the court appearance.
The tale of Cherilus’s unruly behavior serves as a reminder of the consequences of disruptive conduct, even for public figures. Let this incident be a lesson in maintaining dignity and respect in all circumstances, regardless of one’s stature.
