American Airlines apologizes after G League players accused of stealing blankets, thrown off flight

DALLAS -- American Airlines has apologized to two black professional basketball players who were kicked off a plane in Dallas after a flight attendant accused them of stealing blankets.

Airline spokesman Joshua Freed said Tuesday that Memphis Hustle guard Marquis Teague and forward Trahson Burrell boarded the flight bound for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Sunday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

The flight was operated by Envoy Air.

Two first-class passengers gave the players their blankets as they headed to their seats in coach. But a black flight attendant accused them of theft and forced them off the plane.

Freed says an airline manager apologized to the players and that they later flew first class to Sioux Falls.

Chief executive Doug Parker told employees last month that American Airlines will implement implicit-bias training.

Teague, the brother of Jeff Teague of the Minnesota Timberwolves, was drafted by the Bulls in 2012, after playing one season for Kentucky in 2011-2012. Burrell played for the University of Memphis for two seasons before joining the G-League.