Plane Carrying NFL Team Veers Off Taxiway, Gets Stuck

Players, coaches, and staff with the Carolina Panthers were on a plane that ran off a taxiway in Charlotte early Friday. Though no one was injured, it was another hiccup for the Panthers following a preseason loss. Delta Air Lines Flight 8860 had landed at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, hitting the runway closest to the Billy Graham Parkway around 2:40am, per KKCO. It was "a normal landing" except for the fact that the landing gear on the right side of the plane left the taxiway. The AP reports the plane "veered off the taxiway and got stuck in the mud while making its way to the gate," leaving it "unable to move."

Emergency vehicles met the plane, which had departed Providence, Rhode Island. It was reportedly an hour before stairs were towed to the plane and passengers disembarked. Delta said 188 passengers were bused to the terminal. They included players and staff with the Carolina Panthers, who'd played the New England Patriots in an NFL preseason game Thursday, losing 17-3. The Panthers confirmed "their chartered team plane, after landing safely, did run off the taxiway and into mud" and that "no one was hurt," per USA Today. Safety Xavier Woods has raised the suggestion of "vouchers" from the airline. (More Carolina Panthers stories.)