BOSTON (WHDH) - A former NFL player and Boston College alumnus appeared in a Boston courtroom Monday after police said he urinated on one person and hit another person aboard a Delta Air Lines flight, forcing it to turn around.
A Delta spokesperson in a statement said the flight left Boston on its way to Dublin, Ireland Saturday morning but had to return to Logan International Airport “due to an unruly customer.”
Delta’s spokesperson said law enforcement met the plane at the airport. Passengers on the disrupted flight were scheduled to continue on their way to Dublin on Sunday.
“Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful behavior and will cooperate with law enforcement to that end,” the Delta spokesperson said. “We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”
State police arrested 40-year-old Gosder Cherilus of Wakefield after the flight landed and detailed allegations in court documents.
Police said trouble started when Cherilus began arguing about seating arrangements on the plane, with witnesses describing Cherilus as being “disruptive, irritable, delirious and aggressive.”
Police said Cherilus “was consuming alcohol and appeared to be intoxicated prior to the flight.”
Roughly one hour after takeoff, police said, Cherilus stood up, walked to an occupied seat and began urinating on an elderly woman. Police said flight personnel and witnesses tried to stop Cherilus. Instead of returning to his seat, though, police said Cherilus woke up an elderly man, argued with him about his seat, and struck him with his hand.
Once the plane landed, upon being told to leave, police said Cherilus “became irate and uncooperative with law enforcement”.
“[He] continued to physically resist being escorted from the plane and was then placed into handcuffs restraints,” officials said.
Due to his size and strength, police said, four members of the Massachusetts State Police and federal Customs and Border Protection had to work together to restrain Cherilus.
Authorities charged Cherilus with disorderly conduct, interfering with aircraft operation, and resisting arrest.
He was arraigned in East Boston District Court Monday and entered a plea of not guilty.
A judge ordered Cherilus to remain drug and alcohol free with random testing. The judge also ordered him to stay away from Logan Airport unless he needs to fly for official travel.
Cherilus graduated from Somerville High School before attending Boston College beginning in 2003. An offensive tackle, he served as a captain of the BC football team in 2007.
Cherilus was selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft and made his NFL debut later that year. Cherilus retired following the 2016 season after spending time with the Detroit Lions, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cherilus did not comment while leaving the courthouse Monday. He later took to social media, though, posting a message on X about the incident that led to his arrest.
Cherilus said the flight was “unexpectedly delayed” and did not take off until after 12:30 a.m.
“In preparation for the unexpected overnight flight, I took a sleeping medication that I don’t normally use, which resulted in behavior that is not representative of my character,” he said.
“…I would like to apologize to the passengers and the flight crew,” he added.
Passengers leaving on Delta flights on Monday said they were shocked by the incident involving Cherilus.
“It’s really sad that it happened,” said Deep Vadaliya. “It shouldn’t have happened.”
“I would be very surprised, obviously,” said one other person when told about the incident.
Officials confirmed a federal investigation is underway into Cherilus’ alleged in-flight actions. Cherilus is due back in court in Boston on Oct. 11.
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