Terry Bradshaw thought his football days were behind him.
But the NFL legend got tackled by something much worse than any linebacker.
And Terry Bradshaw got brutal TSA treatment that left him fuming.
TSA puts NFL Hall of Famer through the ringer
Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw was just trying to catch a flight home after wrapping up his live show in Branson, Missouri.
The 76-year-old Hall of Fame quarterback thought he’d breeze through security at Springfield-Branson National Airport like any other traveler.
Instead, TSA agents put the beloved NFL icon through an ordeal that would make anyone’s blood boil.
Bradshaw was randomly selected for what turned into an absolutely ridiculous marathon of security checks that went on and on.
The former Super Bowl champion had to endure multiple pat-downs, complete luggage searches where agents unpacked his belongings "item by item," and then got dragged into a private screening room for even more invasive procedures.
A frustrated Bradshaw captured the whole embarrassing spectacle on video, which his companion later posted to Facebook.
"I’m not against being safe but… This is ridiculous!!" Bradshaw said in the footage.
The NFL great was clearly fed up with the excessive treatment from TSA agents who seemed determined to make his travel experience as miserable as possible.
Bradshaw jokes about being treated like a terrorist
By the time TSA agents hauled him into the private screening room for yet another round of pat-downs, Bradshaw had reached his breaking point.
That’s when the frustrated quarterback made a sarcastic comment that perfectly captured how absurd the situation had become.
"I’m The Unabomber," Bradshaw quipped, referencing the notorious domestic terrorist who terrorized the country in the 1990s.
Anyone who’s ever been through an excessive TSA screening can understand Bradshaw’s frustration.
Here’s a 76-year-old American hero who spent decades entertaining football fans and serving as one of the most recognizable faces in sports broadcasting.
Yet TSA agents treated him like he was some kind of dangerous criminal who needed to be subjected to invasive searches and multiple pat-downs.
Despite his obvious irritation, Bradshaw cooperated fully with the security theater and even managed to joke with the camera while TSA agents continued their excessive procedures.
The whole ordeal highlighted just how out of control airport security has become in this country.
This isn’t Bradshaw’s first airport nightmare
This latest TSA fiasco wasn’t even Bradshaw’s first bizarre airport experience in 2025.
Back in April, the NFL legend was on a flight that had just landed in Pittsburgh when passengers discovered they couldn’t get off the plane.
The aircraft door had jammed shut, trapping everyone inside.
One passenger, Selah Gamble, later told local media that the pilot announced the door had finally been opened thanks to "the strength of one of our passengers," clearly referring to Bradshaw.
But Bradshaw later clarified on Instagram that he didn’t actually help open the door, writing, "Just to set the record straight… I did nothing to open the door on the plane! The maintenance crew had it open in 15 minutes."
Even when Bradshaw isn’t trying to be the hero, somehow he still ends up in the middle of these ridiculous situations.
The man just wants to travel in peace after decades of entertaining Americans with his football career and broadcasting work.
TSA continues to harass innocent Americans
Bradshaw’s experience perfectly illustrates everything that’s wrong with the current state of airport security in America.
The Transportation Security Administration continues to subject innocent travelers to invasive, time-consuming procedures that accomplish nothing except making people miserable.
A 76-year-old NFL Hall of Famer who’s been in the public eye for decades somehow gets treated like a potential terrorist threat.
The whole system has become an exercise in security theater that inconveniences law-abiding Americans while doing little to actually improve safety.
Bradshaw was traveling home after performing "The Terry Bradshaw Show," where he entertains audiences with personal stories and singing as part of his national tour.
He’s spent his entire career bringing joy to people, yet TSA agents put him through an ordeal that would frustrate anyone.
The fact that this happened to someone as beloved and recognizable as Terry Bradshaw shows that no one is safe from the TSA’s excessive procedures.
If they’ll put a football legend through this kind of treatment, imagine what ordinary Americans have to endure every day.
Bradshaw plans to continue his tour throughout the summer, which means he’ll likely have to deal with more TSA nonsense in the months ahead.
At least now he knows to expect the worst when it comes to airport security in America.
