Authorities at Pittsburgh International Airport filed an incident report after New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes failed to follow flight regulations by not turning off his iPod as the plane he was on was landing.
ets spokesman Bruce Speight said Friday that the team was told Holmes was flying from Newark Liberty International Airport to Pittsburgh on Thursday night when the incident took place.
“On Thursday April 29, 2010 at 21:00 hours, aircom requested officers to gate D-77 for a report of an incident aboard the aircraft no other information was available,” the report states. “Myself and Officer [redacted] arrived and spoke to flight attendant [redacted] of Colgan Air who stated that a passenger wouldn’t turn off his ipod when requested to do so and requested officers to speak to him.”
The report identifies the passenger as Holmes, who was “advised that all instructions from the frlight crew must be adhered to during flights,” the report continues.
A TSA regulatory agent was “unavailable and determined to be unnecessary for this matter,” the report states.
When Holmes said he understood the regulations, authorities deemed the matter resolved. He was not charged.
Earlier reports from two Pittsburgh-area television stations had said Holmes was escorted off the plane after being “disruptive.” The report does not mention any disruptive behavior.
Speight said the report was filed with the Allegheny County Police Department after Holmes’ flight landed.
Jets officials said Friday they are looking into the incident, but have not yet spoken with Holmes, who was en route to Las Vegas for the Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight.
“I know what has been told to me and it kind of got blown out of proportion it sounds like in some of the media outlets and things,” said coach Rex Ryan, who addressed reporters during the team’s rookie minicamp.
Ryan said he was not happy to have to stand at a podium and address questions about this incident. “I mean, OK, let’s face it, he should turn off his iPod,” he said. “That’s what he should do. He should do that. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Santonio, but he certainly should do that.”
The troubled but talented Holmes was traded by the Steelers to the Jets on April 11 for a fifth-round draft pick. Last week, he acknowledged taking missteps during his four-season Steelers career, but said in a message on his website he is looking forward to a “clean start” with his new team.
Ryan said he has been happy with Holmes so far, complimenting his work in classroom sessions and the weight room.
“Thanks for the support but some people just want to make their name blow up!” Holmes said on his Twitter page Friday afternoon. “Well congratulations!”
Holmes won’t make his Jets regular-season debut until Week 5 of the regular season after the NFL suspended him without pay for the first four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
The 2009 Super Bowl MVP was held out for one game by the Steelers in 2008 after police said they detected marijuana in his car. He was recently sued by a woman in Florida, who said he threw a glass at her in a nightclub — a witness has since taken responsibility for that.
Holmes was also involved in a domestic violence incident in 2006; the misdemeanor charges were later dismissed. He was recently accused of telling a fan to “kill urself” on his Twitter page, but implied that his account was hacked.
Holmes is coming off his best season, with 79 catches for 1,248 yards and five touchdowns, but his troubles off the field could explain the relatively low price the Jets paid to get him.
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