Seahawks’ star Michael Bennett is one of the NFL’s most outspoken players and recently protested police violence against minorities by taking a seat during the national anthem
Seattle Seahawks star Michael Bennett is considering a civil rights lawsuit against the Las Vegas Police for being illegally detained after last month’s Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor fight, according to allegations the Pro Bowl defensive end detailed on Twitter Wednesday morning.
In a note addressed ‘Dear World,’ Bennett claimed police picked him out of a crowd that was running away from the sound of gunshots. Ultimately, he explained, those officers threatened to ‘blow my f****** head off.’
‘Las Vegas police officers singled me out and pointed their guns at me for doing nothing more than simply being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time,’ Bennett wrote.
Las Vegas Metro Police have yet to respond to request for comment.
Since Bennett released his statement, TMZ posted a video showing a portion of the incident referenced in his tweet. And although the 31-year old can be seen being arrested with a knee to his back, the clip did not show any police officer pointing a gun at Bennett.
‘I wasn’t doing nothing, man,’ Bennett can be heard yelling. ‘I was here with my friends. They told us to get out, everybody ran.’
Bennett is considering a civil rights lawsuit against the Las Vegas Police after allegedly being illegally detained following last month’s Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor fight
Bennett was ultimately saved by his status as a famous NFL player, he explained, and was released before being arrested.
‘The [o]fficers ignored my pleas and instead told me to shut up and then took me to the back of a nearby police car where I sat for what felt like an eternity until they apparently realized I was not a thug, common criminal or ordinary black man but… a famous football player,’ Bennett’s statement read.
However, according to Bennett, he was released only after enduring an ordeal that left him ‘terrified and confused.’
According to Bennett, he was returning to his hotel from T-Mobile Arena with ‘several hundred’ other people, when everyone heard what sounded like gunshots. The pack of people ran for safety, he explained, which is when a nearby police officer ordered him to get to the ground before putting a gun to his head and threating to kill him.
Another officer then ‘forcefully jammed’ his knee to Bennett’s back, limiting his ability to breath, before they both ‘cinching’ handcuffs on him so tightly that his fingers went numb.
In addition to being one of the league’s most outspoken players, Bennett is also one of the NFL’s most open, frequently putting pictures of his wife and children on social media
Bennett, 31, has won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks and has appeared in two Pro Bowls
Bennett wrote that he has retained Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris ‘to investigate and explore all my legal options including filing a civil rights lawsuit for the violation of my constitutional rights.’
Bennett is among the NFL’s most outspoken players and recently sat on the bench during the national anthem before a recent preseason game to protest police violence against minorities.
‘The system failed me,’ Bennett went on to write, adding that he will continue to use his platform ‘to be able to speak to injustice.’
‘Equality,’ he explained, ‘doesn’t live in this country.’
Bennett received immediate support from controversial former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who started and popularized the trend of protesting the national anthem among NFL players.
‘This violation that happened against my Brother Michael Bennett is disgusting and unjust,’ Kaepernick tweeted. ‘I stand with Michael and I stand with the people.’
Bennett has been vocally supportive of Kaepernick, who remains unsigned ahead of Thursday’s regular season opener despite the fact that he has comparable statistics to many of the league’s current quarterbacks, including several starters.
Both Bennett and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers have claimed that Kaepernick has been blackballed by the league for his political views.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick wasted no time in defending Bennett, who supported and emulated the controversial Kaepernick’s anthem protest
Bennett and wife Pele Bennett make an appearance at the B.E.T. awards