Terrell Owens Accuses Delta Cleaning Crew Member Of Taking Bag Left On Flight
NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens has accused a Delta cleaning-crew member of taking his bag after he left it on a flight from Houston to Los Angeles.
Terrell Owens has accused a Delta Air Lines cleaning-crew member of taking his bag after he left it on a flight from Houston to Los Angeles. The Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver said he realised the bag was missing within minutes and had police officers return to the aircraft to search for it. Owens shared his account on X, tagging Delta and naming Flight DL1143. His allegation has not been independently confirmed.
What Happened To Terrell Owens' Bag On Delta Flight DL1143?
Owens said he left his bag directly under the seat in front of him before exiting the aircraft. He claimed he realised he did not have it less than 10 minutes later and arranged for police officers to return to the plane.
“@Delta Someone from the cleaning crew of this flight DL1143 STOLE my bag,” Owens wrote on X.
He also claimed the officers could not retrieve the bag because nobody on the aircraft said they had seen it. Owens rejected that explanation and pointed out that the bag had been left in a specific location.
Delta's baggage guidance asks passengers who leave belongings on an aircraft to report them through the airline's Lost and Found system. The airline says it will search for reported items and contact passengers if they are recovered.
Owens' complaint goes beyond a standard lost-item report because he alleges that someone from the cleaning crew took the bag. However, he did not publicly identify the employee, and there is no publicly available evidence establishing that a Delta worker took the property.
@Delta Someone from the cleaning crew of this flight DL1143 STOLE my bag.
— Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) September 21, 2026
Yes, “stole”, because I had a couple police officers who went to the plane to retrieve it where I left it and all of a sudden no one saw anything, which is a lie. The bag was directly under the seat in… pic.twitter.com/y3cleosaem
Delta has not publicly confirmed Owens' allegation in the information currently available. There is also no public police finding identifying a cleaning-crew member as responsible.
How Terrell Owens Became One Of The NFL's Most Productive Receivers
Long before his latest complaint, Owens built a career that eventually took him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The San Francisco 49ers selected him in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and he spent eight seasons with the franchise.
Owens later played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. Across 15 NFL seasons, he recorded 1,078 receptions, 15,934 receiving yards and 153 touchdowns.
One of his most memorable San Francisco moments came during the 1998 NFC Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers. Owens caught Steve Young's late touchdown pass to complete a 30-27 victory, with the play later becoming known as “The Catch II.”
The receiver entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, cementing his place among the game's most accomplished pass catchers.
Now, the former NFL star is dealing with an issue that has nothing to do with football. Owens says his bag disappeared shortly after he left a Delta aircraft and has accused a cleaning-crew member of taking it. Until an official finding or additional evidence emerges, that accusation remains unverified.