Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw’s recent trip to Pittsburgh lasted much longer than he anticipated, thanks to a jammed boarding door.
The plane departed from Dallas-Forth Worth. Bradshaw was traveling to Pittsburgh Thursday to attend a celebratory dinner Friday for former Steelers teammate Mel Blount, USA Today reported.
Bradshaw was seated near the front of the plane, according to reports. At some point during the trip, the door malfunctioned.
Selah Holland, a passenger traveling on the same flight as Bradshaw, told KDKA 5 the pilot informed everyone onboard that the stuck door was eventually opened “thanks to the strength of one of our passengers.”
“The pilot announced, and you could kind of hear he was chuckling as he said it, but he said, ‘Thanks to the strength of one of our passengers, we were finally able to get the door open,’ and I think we all knew he was alluding to Mr. Bradshaw,” Holland said.
Terry Bradshaw of Fox Sports during the NFC championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams Jan. 30, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Icon Sportswire)
However, Bradshaw took to social media Friday to clarify the role he played.
“Just to set the record straight,” he wrote on an Instagram post, “I did nothing to open the door on the plane!”
Fox Sports host and former NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw before the Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami, Fla. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The 76-year-old former quarterback then credited the maintenance personnel.
“The maintenance crew had it open in 15 [minutes].”
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Holland also noted that several Steelers fans were on board the flight, and comments were made in jest about Bradshaw getting out of his seat to potentially knock down the door.
Terry Bradshaw (Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Friars Club)
“There were a lot of Steelers fans on board, of course, so it was kinda funny because I think people had been making jokes that he should help bust down the door,” Holland said.
Bradshaw spent his entire storied NFL career with the Steelers, winning four Super Bowls in six seasons with the franchise. Bradshaw and Blount played for Pittsburgh from 1970-1983. Blount, who played cornerback, is also a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
