BOSTON — A New England woman was traveling overseas when a former NFL player with Massachusetts ties started acting erratically and urinated on her on an international flight from Boston, she recounted Monday.
Connee Bush, 78, and her husband were traveling from Maine to the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday night.
Connee says she was beginning to doze off when former NFL tackle and Boston College product Gosder Cherilus stood up and started urinating on her.
“He emptied his bladder on me,” Bush described. “That was my sense that he could not relate to anything that he was doing at all, in terms of where. It was like he was urinating in a bathroom.”
Cherilus is charged with interfering with the operation of an aircraft, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges during his arraignment in East Boston District Court.
Cherilus blamed a bad reaction to a sleep aid for his unruly behavior.
“The flight was unexpectedly delayed for approximately four hours and it 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 and I would like to apologize to the passengers and flight crew.”
— Gosder Cherilus (@GosderCherilus) August 19, 2024
Bush said that although the incident was “nasty”, she never felt she was in any danger.
“I did not feel threatened by this man, violently,” Bush said.
Cherilus was released on $2,500 cash bail following his arrest on Sunday. Conditions for his release include that he remain drug and alcohol-free with the exception of prescription drugs as prescribed, undergo random drug and alcohol screening, stay away from Logan International Airport unless for official travel, and stay away from the alleged victims.
“It’s pretty egregious, according to the facts as alleged,” Judge Debra DelVecchio said in court, adding that Cherilus must inform court officials if he does leave the country.
“It was learned that Gosder was consuming alcohol and appeared to be intoxicated before flight,” police said in their report.
About 40 to 60 minutes into the flight, at an altitude of about 36,000 feet, Cherilus “stood up midflight, walked back to seat 4C, fully exposed his genitals, and began urinating on an elderly female, emptying his entire bladder for approximately 20 seconds,” the police report states.
Flight crew members and witnesses then “attempted to stop Gosder’s behavior by grabbing his hands from his genitals and demanding that he return to his seat,” the police report states.
Cherilus then woke up an elderly man in another seat, began arguing over the seat, and struck him with his right hand, the police report states. Flight crew members were able to convince Cherilus to go back to his seat, where he passed out.
Later, after the flight was rerouted back to Logan Airport, it took four state troopers to restrain Cherilus “due to his size and strength,” the police report states.
Cherilus played nine seasons in the NFL after spending his entire collegiate career at Boston College.
The former offensive tackle started 116 of 132 career games for the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cherilus retired from the NFL after the 2016 season.
Cherilus is due back in court on Oct. 11.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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