TSA denies responsibility for late mother’s ashes spilling in NFL player’s suitcase
Nearly anyone who has checked luggage for a flight has found that slip of paper in their suitcase.
It's a message from the Transportation Security Administration saying someone had opened the bag as part of a security check.
For New York Giants defensive lineman, A.J. Francis, the message appeared in his suitcase he opened after he arrived home after attending a celebration of life for his mother, who died in June.
One problem: the urn carrying his mom's remains wasn't closed and her ashes were spilled in the suitcase.
Francis unloaded on TSA on Twitter. On Monday, he tweeted a photo of the suitcase and wrote: "Hey you ... at @TSA next time you ... feel the need to go thru my mother's ashes for no reason, make sure you close it back so her remains aren't spilled on all my clothes ... the least you pieces of garbage can do is your ... job"
Quick note: the ellipses are used in places where Francis had curse words. Normally, I would embed the tweet here, but for that reason I can't. Here is a link to it.
AskTSA responded: "We're very sorry to hear about this. We understand the emotional stress travelers are under when transporting the remains of a loved one. Our policies and procedures focus on ensuring that all passengers are treated with dignity, respect and courtesy.
"Our officers are trained to handle your carry-on and checked property with care. Out of respect for the deceased, under no circumstances should the container be opened. Please accept our apologies and our condolences."
Francis, uh, rejected the apology.
He later tweeted: "The craziest part of this ... is that I dont even care that they checked it... they were just being cautious, & I can understand that. But to not ensure that it won’t spill back into my bag after you put it back in is the most asinine & irresponsible (thing) I have ever seen."
TSA responded to that tweet with this message: "We want to look further into this. Please let us know which airport you traveled through, as well as the airline and flight information."
On Tuesday, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein told the Washington Post that video footage of the inspection showed that agents were unaware that the container had cremated remains. Oh, and they weren't responsible for the spill either.
"Video review of the screening of Mr. Francis’ checked bag at Los Angeles International Airport shows that it alarmed for an unidentified object," Farbstein told The Post. "A TSA officer discovered the unidentified object was an opened, unmarked ceramic container, wrapped in tin foil inside a small bag. Upon further inspection of the checked bag, the container was loosely packaged, unmarked and the contents unknown to the TSA officer.
"The TSA officer completed screening of the checked bag, clearing it to continue to its destination. The container was carefully repacked and placed in the bag."
Francis, who played for Washington a year ago, wasn't buying it.
On Tuesday, he tweeted the photo again and wrote: " 'Carefully repackaged' but there were no remains in the suitcase when I opened it on camera at my Bag check... then I open it at home, open my suitcase and take this picture. I’m over this."
This story was originally published July 10, 2018 at 4:17 PM.