Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett says the incident he was involved in with Las Vegas police last month was a “traumatic experience” he was lucky to escape.
“It was a traumatic experience for me and my family,” Bennett said while speaking to reporters at the Seahawks’ facility on Wednesday afternoon. “It sucks that the country we live in now sometimes you get profiled for the color of your skin. It’s a tough situation for me. Do I think every police officer is bad? No. I don’t believe that. Do I believe that there’s some people out there that are judging people on the color of their skin? I do believe that. I’m just focused on trying to push forward and keep continuously … the quest for justice for people. Keep pushing the quality for oppressed people.”
He claimed the police singled him out among a group of people who were fleeing away from what sounded like gunshots. Bennett said a police officer ordered him to the ground, pointed a gun at his head and told him not to move or he would “blow my [expletive] head off.” Bennett said a second officer forcefully jammed his knee into his back, making it difficult for him to breathe, before handcuffing him and eventually putting him in the back of a police car.
The incident occurred nearly two weeks after Bennett first sat during the national anthem before a preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams to raise awareness to racism and violence in the wake of the events in Charlottesville, Virginia. Bennett said he plans to sit during the anthem all season.
Bennett was not arrested or charged in the matter, but is considering filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. for allegedly using excessive force
