Chargers lineman says he was sexually assaulted by TSA agent
A Los Angeles Chargers player says he was sexually assaulted by a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent at a California airport.
“I really just got sexually assaulted by TSA at @JohnWayneAir. After I asked the gentleman to please stop BC I’m uncomfortable and I feel that this part of the check is unnecessary (After he felt what was needed),” Chargers defensive end Sebastian Joseph-Day wrote in a tweet on Friday. “Then they told me I was the problem after 3 TSA agents swarmed me.”
In his Twitter thread, Joseph-Day called the incident with the TSA agent “extremely unnecessary and dehumanizing,” adding that he feels he’ll have to “jump through hoops” just to file a complaint on the situation.
I’m not sharing this on Twitter for sympathy,” Joseph-Day, who joined the Chargers after winning a Super Bowl with the crosstown rivals Rams in 2021, wrote in a tweet. “I’m sharing this so this group of gentleman and staff aren’t allowed to do this ever again to another human being.”
Joseph-Day said that a TSA supervisor threatened to call the police on him if he didn’t finish the search.
“It’s 1 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,” Joseph-Day said in response to John Wayne Airport’s Twitter account. “I don’t think it’s just a TSA issue.”
In a statement to Fox News, TSA said it is aware of the allegations Joseph-Day made, saying they are looking into the matter.
"TSA is aware of allegations made by a traveler who was screened by TSA officers at John Wayne Orange County 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,” the agency told Fox News.
"TSA remains committed to treating every traveler with dignity and respect while carrying out its security screening responsibilities”
The Hill has reached out to the NFLPA, the NFL’s players union, for comment and more information.