“Who would’ve thought this would’ve happened today? I don’t think it was on anyone’s bingo cards.” Flight 2664 passenger Selah Gamble told KDKA-TV that after witnessing Terry Bradshaw’s heroics on the airplane. Bradshaw’s role in saving passengers who were apparently stuck inside their flight because of a jammed door was widely reported. Newspapers started calling him the hero of Pittsburgh—if he wasn’t one already. Having led the Steelers to 4 Super Bowls and their first almost 50 years ago, Bradshaw had already earned hero status in Steel City. So, to clear up some confusion after landing in Pittsburgh. Bradshaw spilled his actual role in the flight that carried him from Texas to Pittsburgh.

Using his official Instagram account, the 76-year-old dismissed any hero claims while anointing himself as an ordinary passenger. “Just to set the record straight, I did nothing to open the door of the plane!” Bradshaw said, putting KDKA-TV’s initial reports under the bus. Their reporter Ricky Sayer was the first one to break this news. He tweeted early Friday morning, “NFL legend Terry Bradshaw saved the day for a group of travelers trapped on a plane at Pittsburgh International Airport.” Not only that, he also claimed a 76-year-old Bradshaw forced open an airplane hatchet while no one else could.

Honestly, the way Bradshaw has always carried himself with grit and resilience. The moment Sayer tweeted and backed his claims with passenger interviews, it was believable. Like Selah Gamble also recalled, the passengers on the plane were apparently joking about how Bradshaw could have easily busted down the door if he had been a bit younger. “I mean honestly, I was just ready to get off the flight, but the guy next to me had made the joke that they should have him bust down the door. And I was like, well, maybe he could a few years ago,” Gamble shared.

But soon after, when she saw Bradshaw leaving his first-row seat to do the unthinkable, Gamble was mesmerized. “I’m definitely eating my words,” Gamble added. She also mused how the pilot joined in to personally thank Bradshaw, “thanks to the strength of one of our passengers, we were finally able to get the door open.” Bradshaw could have easily taken credit for saving passengers who were apparently stuck for 30 minutes inside the airplane.

No one was batting an eyelid as Pittsburgh called Bradshaw a hero on the tarmac. However, he didn’t take any credit, saying, “The maintenance crew had it open in 15 mins.” Bradshaw’s claims paint a bleak picture of Sayer’s reports. Whatever happened on Flight 2664 originally, at least it didn’t stop Bradshaw from celebrating his 50th anniversary of Super Bowl IX victory. Whether it was his raw strength at 76 or the maintenance crew, Bradshaw wasn’t going to miss Mel Blount’s Celebrity roast.

Terry Bradshaw reminisces about Super Bowl IX glory hours after saving passengers

On January 12th, 1975, when Bradshaw delivered Pittsburgh their first Super Bowl, he was already a hero. A 26-year-old Bradshaw, who temporarily lost his starting spot to Joe Gilliam that season, never looked back since. First, it was his 4th quarter thunderous TD against the Oakland Raiders that earned the Steelers their first shot at the Super Bowl. Then, on the biggest stage, Bradshaw frustrated the Vikings until the 4th quarter. Again, it was Bradshaw’s gunslinging 30-yard dagger to Larry Brown that secured the Steelers’ first Super Bowl. A 16-6 lead was enough for the Steelers to bag their first Lombardi in a muddy gridiron.

Little did the Steelers know what was coming next: Bradshaw followed his first Super Bowl with 3 more Lombardi to wrap up a dynasty in black and gold. Then, it took the Steelers 26 years to win their next one as Bradshaw declined an invitation to present the Super Bowl XL trophy. Referring to those early doubts the Steelers had in him, Bradshaw said, “I didn’t feel wanted back then. So I stayed away. But I never stopped loving the team. I just didn’t think the team loved me back.” 

However, Bradshaw has since left those wounds in the rearview mirror. He turned into a co-host for Mel Blount’s annual celebrity roast. It’s an event that takes place every year to raise money for Blount’s Youth Leadership Initiative. But this year, this event also honored Bradshaw and the Steelers’ first Super Bowl win. He may not have those 4 rings anymore, having donated them all. But Bradshaw surely remembers the day he won his first in New Orleans, Louisiana.