Seattle Seahawks star Michael Bennett joined other NFL athletes on Sunday in protesting the treatment of minorities by US law enforcement during season-opening weekend.
Michael sat on a bench as The Star-Spangled Banner played before the Seahawks’ opener against the Green Bay Packers, while teammate Justin Britt put a hand on his shoulder.
His brother, Martellus, a tight end for the Packers, stood at the end of the Green Bay bench with his right fist raised in the air in a black power salute.
The move comes just two weeks after Michael was detained on a Las Vegas street for about 10 minutes by police who were investigating the firing of gunshots in the area.
Seattle Seahawks star Michael Bennett sat on a bench during the national anthem, protesting the treatment of minorities by US law enforcement during season-opening weekend while teammate Justin Britt put a hand on his shoulder (pictured)
His brother, Martellus, a tight end for the Packers, stood at the end of the Green Bay bench with his right fist raised in the air in a black power salute (pictured)
The move comes just two weeks after Michael was detained on a Las Vegas street for about 10 minutes by police who were investigating the firing of gunshots in the area (pictured)
The Pro Bowl defensive end, who was handcuffed on the ground, announced earlier Wednesday morning on Twitter that he is considering a civil rights lawsuit against the Las Vegas Metro Police.
In a note addressed ‘Dear World’, Michael 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,’ he wrote.
According to Michael, 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 near his head and threatening to kill him.
Another officer allegedly ‘jammed’ his knee into Michael’s back ‘forcefully’, limiting his ability to breath. Then, according to Michael, the officers cinched handcuffs on him so tightly that his fingers ‘went numb.’
His younger brother Martellus described the experience of learning about the incident over the phone on Instagram: ‘The emotion and the thought of almost losing you because of the way you look left me in one of the saddest places ever.
‘I could hear the fear in your voice, the tears in your eyes as well your sprinting heart beat [sic]. I can’t imagine how the people who lost their loved ones felt when they got the call.
‘A lot of people feel like it couldn’t happen to them because of status, neighborhood… or whatever, but [in] all honesty YOU could be next.’
In a note addressed ‘Dear World’, Michael 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’ (pictured on the bench during Sunday’s game)
His younger brother Martellus described the experience of learning about the incident as leaving him ‘in one of the saddest places ever’ (Pictured, Michael and Martellus Bennett, left and right, walk off the field after the Packers v Seahawks season-opener on Sunday)
Meanwhile, in Ohio, Cleveland Browns players linked arms with police, military and firefighters during the anthem before the team’s opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The movement was started last year by then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (pictured kneeling, right, with Eric Reid in September 2016) in protest of mass police brutality against African-Americans
Meanwhile, in Ohio, Cleveland Browns players linked arms with police, military and firefighters during the anthem before the team’s opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Last year, the Browns made history when team member Seth DeValve became the first white NFL player to kneel during the national anthem.
NFL players – and other American sports stars – have followed the movement started by then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who said the gesture was in protest of mass police brutality against African-Americans.
‘I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,’ Kaepernick, who is currently not in the league, said at the time.