Notorious NFL anthem protester admits how disrespectful he can be
Even the staunchest Michael Bennett supporters may struggle to defend this one.
Bennett, the outspoken social activist who also happens to play professional football, is no stranger to controversy.
During the 2017 season, Bennett consistently sat during the national anthem as a form of protest. It alienated quite a few fans, some of whom feel that sitting is far more disrespectful than kneeling during the anthem.
He’s also had some quite serious run-ins with the law. While in Las Vegas, Bennett claimed that police racially profiled him when a gun went off. Subsequent camera footage from Las Vegas police debunked that claim.
More recently, Bennett actually turned himself in to authorities on the charge of injury to the elderly. The case is ongoing.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop, Bennett seemingly admitted that his antics aren’t exclusive to non-football-related topics.
Yes, instead of trying to be a productive contributor and setting a good example for the rookies, Bennett openly flaunted his disregard for his head coach by cracking open a book during team meetings.
Could you imagine how quickly the average Joe working 9-to-5 would get fired for displaying such blatant disrespect?
Bennett’s acknowledgement that he ignored Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll corroborates comments made by Richard Sherman after the ex-Seahawks cornerback left the team for the division rival San Francisco 49ers.
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“(Carroll’s coaching) philosophy is more built for college, you know,’’ Sherman said. “You get four years, guys rotate in, rotate out.’’
“(The veterans) had literally heard (all of Carroll’s motivational stories),” Sherman said. “We could recite them before he even started to say them. So I think that (played a role in the Seahawks roster changes).”
While Carroll seems to be the victim here, he’s just as much to blame.
Carroll fostered this type of environment by always giving his players carte blanche to behave however they want. Many think Carroll began losing his locker room after the controversial decision to throw a pass instead of run against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, but this was always going to be Carroll’s endgame based on the culture he was cultivating.
But perhaps Carroll may have finally learned a lesson about productive locker room cultures. The two most outspoken veterans he had, Sherman and Bennett, are no longer with the team after being cut and traded, respectively.
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