Court docs allege ex-NFL player urinated on plane passenger for 20 seconds, refused to depart flight

A former NFL player accused of urinating on another passenger, while on a Delta Air Lines flight from Boston to Dublin, Ireland, had pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him but has issued an apology to crew members and fellow passengers on board the flight.

Gosder Cherilus, 40, of Wakefield, Massachusetts, was accused of disorderly behavior on board Delta Air Lines Flight 154 from Boston to Dublin Sunday. A criminal docket, viewed by USA TODAY, states Cherilus was consuming alcohol and was intoxicated prior to the flight, which was delayed by over three and half hours, according to data published on FlightAware.

"Witnesses described Gosder's behavior as disruptive, irritable, delirious and aggressive during the flight," the court documents said.

What happened on the flight?

The ex-NFL player initially fussed over the seating arrangements and about an hour into the flight, got up, walked up to a seat where an elderly lady was seated and began urinating on her, fully exposing his genitals, court documents said, adding he continued the act for 20 seconds, "emptying his entire bladder."

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Crew members and witnesses attempted to stop Cherilus by grabbing his arms and demanding him to go back to his seat. When he went back to his seat, he woke up an elderly man and argued with him over the seating arrangement before hitting him with his right hand.

"Passengers and flight crews were eventually able to deescalate Gosder and convinced him into returning to seat 3D, where he passed out," the court documents said.

Cherilus' actions sent the entire flight into shock and fearing for their safety given he stands at 6'6" and is approximately 280 pounds, as per court records. As the result, the flight was diverted and forced to return to Logan International Airport, where it was met with members of law enforcement agencies.

Cherilus also refused to get off plane

Massachusetts State Police, in a statement Monday, had said troopers boarded the aircraft around 2 a.m. Sunday and commanded the player to leave the plane but "he became irate and uncooperative." Court documents said Cherilus resisted arrest and defied authorities' verbal commands to deboard the plane. He had to eventually be escorted off the flight in handcuffs. Due to his size and strength, it took four officials to restrain him.

Cherilus appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct, disturbing a flight crew and resisting arrest.

Cherilus issues apology

Cherilus, meanwhile, addressed the matter on social media, apologizing and attributing his behavior to a "sleeping medication" that he normally doesn't use.

"The flight was unexpectedly delayed for approximately four hours," Cherilus wrote in a post on Instagram. "In preparation for the expected overnight flight, I took a sleeping medication that I don't normally use, which resulted in behavior that is not representative of my character, and I would like to apologize to the passengers and flight crew."

According to data published on FlightAware, Delta Flight 154 left Logan at 12:12 a.m. ET Sunday, more than three and half hours after it was scheduled to take off, before taking a U-turn and landing in Boston at 2:33 a.m.

An attorney for Cherilus could not immediately be reached for a comment.

'Zero tolerance for unlawful behavior,' says Delta

“Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful behavior and will cooperate with law enforcement to that end," the spokesperson said in a statement. "We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”

Other passengers, meanwhile, were put on another flight to Dublin on Sunday, a Delta spokesperson told USA TODAY on Monday.

Who is Gosder Cherilus?

Cherilus was an offensive tackle at Boston College from 2005 to 2007. He was drafted into the NFL in 2008 by the Detroit Lions. He played five seasons in Detroit, two with the Indianapolis Colts and two for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 2016.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.