Seahawks DE Michael Bennett "received a show of support from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell" yesterday as Bennett weighs a civil rights lawsuit against the Las Vegas Police Department after "alleging racial profiling and excessive use of force," according to Jarrett Bell of USA TODAY. Bennett said the incident occurred after the Mayweather-McGregor fight on Aug. 26. Goodell in a statement said, "We will support Michael and all NFL players in promoting mutual respect between law enforcement and the communities they loyally serve and fair and equal treatment under the law." Bell notes Goodell "vouched for Bennett and played it down the middle at the same time." However, the fact that he "responded to the controversial detainment" of Bennett is "progress in itself." Amid his "icy relations" with the NFLPA, "affected by hard-line rulings on discipline, Goodell showed compassion for an individual player." He too often recently has "seemed to have a disconnect with players." Bell: "Perhaps Goodell sensed that a statement on behalf of Bennett -- one of the NFL’s most outspoken activists on racial matters -- could be pivotal, if not just the right thing to do" (USA TODAY, 9/7). NBCSN's Chris Simms called Goodell's statement a "classy move," as he is "coming out and supporting a player." Simms: "Really doing both, also supporting the police as well” (“PFT,” NBCSN, 9/7).
UNION WEIGHS IN: In Dallas, Carter Karels noted NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith "voiced his opinion on the matter as well." Smith said that he will "meet with Bennett at their union meeting in Seattle" today. Smith in a statement said, "Social justice is an issue that all NFL players -- just like all Americans -- have a right to fight for and demand. We support Michael, just like we do all players, and we are sorry for him and his family that he had that experience" (DALLASNEWS.com, 9/6).
MIRROR OF THE TIMES: USA TODAY's Christine Brennan in a front-page piece writes Bennett's statement is a "fitting reminder" that the nation and the NFL have "reached the same cultural crossroads at the same time." This is about the "continuing backlash that is occurring around the nation in the wake of the horrifying events in Charlottesville" and how that tragedy has "become intertwined with the issues of race and protest that have been present on NFL sidelines for more than a year." If Colin Kaepernick’s original protests during the national anthem were the "launching pad for these issues," Bennett’s statement "might well have brought the matter to a boiling point just as the new NFL season approaches" (USA TODAY, 9/7). USA TODAY's Bell writes Bennett’s episode "illustrates exactly why Kaepernick -- fed up with police killings of unarmed African-American men -- launched his protest." Too many people have "twisted the reason" for the protests, "interpreting them as a slight on the American flag or the military." Bell: "It was always about police brutality, systematic injustices and oppression" (USA TODAY, 9/7). YAHOO SPORTS' Eric Adelson wrote this "gets to the heart of what Kaepernick and Bennett are protesting." They "want better training of police officers with guns, and better accountability for the police overall" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 9/6). ESPN's Jemele Hill: "A lot of people have questioned Michael Bennett's motivations, Colin Kaepernick's motivations. This is what they are motivated by. I don't know how many different languages we need to say this in for people to take hold that this is real, and it is not just happening to Michael Bennett." ESPN's Michael Smith: "All the people who said to him and Colin Kaepernick, ‘What do you have to complain about? You are rich, you are playing a game, you can't relate to the people you are fighting for.’ Yes, you can” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 9/6). NBC's Mike Florio: "I just wish we could get to a point where people will get past the superficialities and understand the deeper issues that the players are trying to bring attention to" ("PFT," NBCSN, 9/7).
BENNETT'S MESSAGE GAINS WEIGHT: Bennett, who has been sitting during the national anthem throughout the preseason, said that this is the "reason he does it." In Seattle, Matt Calkins writes Bennett is as "ardent of a civil-rights advocate as you’ll find in the NFL," and he has now "endured an experience that personalizes his message." A lot of people have been "turned off by his pregame demonstrations, and will continue to be in the foreseeable future." However, unless the LVPD "can offer more specifics, there might be a lot more players joining Bennett in protest" (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/7). Packers TE Martellus Bennett said that he does "not plan to sit through the national anthem Sunday, like his brother and so many others across the NFL have done in the past year." However, he did say that he "supports his brother’s crusade." Martellus Bennett "hinted at possibly releasing a political cartoon, using his art to make a statement." The brothers' teams -- Packers and Seahawks -- play each other Week 1 (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 9/7).
