ATLANTA — He makes a living with his skateboard and his brand, but this month Justin Mallory said that’s exactly what got him in trouble.
Mallory claims he was kicked off a flight out of Atlanta because of his business logo on his shirt which features guns.
“I was flabbergasted. I was taken aback,” Mallory said.
“The shirt is just a graphic,” Mallory told Wilfon.
The professional skateboarder said he was kicked off a Frontier Airlines flight because of the logo.
He said the airline said the shirt made another passenger uncomfortable.
Mallory's lawyer, Mawuli Davis, calls it discrimination.
“The shirt, some would say he’s dressed in a hip-hop fashion, and he’s African-American. Those three things may have all contributed to the discrimination and profiling against him,” Davis said.
Frontier Airlines tells a much different story.
In a statement to WSB, the airline indicated Mallory's shirt and race had nothing to do with it.
Frontier said Mallory “became argumentative prior to boarding when asked to check a skateboard. The passenger boarded the aircraft and continued to exhibit disruptive behavior.”
“That’s totally false,” Mallory told Wilfon.
Because he was kicked off the flight, Mallory said he missed a skateboarding trade show where he planned to promote his brand.
Instead, he said it got him in trouble.
“It was a terrible situation. It was embarrassing. I don’t want to see it happen to anyone else. I wouldn’t wish it on someone,” Mallory said.
Mallory and his lawyer told Wilfon they are considering a lawsuit.