Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Bennett became the latest NFL star to abstain from a pre-game National Anthem ceremony on Sunday, August 13, and while discussing his reason for omitting himself from the tradition, vowed to continue doing so going into the 2017 season.
As members of both the Seattle Seahawks and the San Diego Chargers lined up for the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, Bennett was noticeably absent from the sidelines. Instead, the nine-year veteran sat alone on the bench far behind the players' formation. After the game, coach Pete Carroll claimed to have been aware of Bennett's plans to protest during the anthem, as did teammates who were interviewed about the move. For Bennett, who is regarded as one of the more socially active citizens in the league, the action is one he has apparently considered taking for awhile, and after factoring in the what ramifications he may face, remains steadfast on his intention to carry it through.
“I love football like any other American. But I don’t love segregation, I don’t love riots, I don’t love oppression. I don’t love gender slander. I just want to see people have the equality that they deserve and I want to be able to use this platform to continuously push the message and keep finding out how unselfish we can be in society, how we can continuously love one another and understand that people are different. And just because people are different doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t like them," Bennett said. He went on to admit that he is aware of the backlash he will face but asserted that he is open to making himself vulnerable to judgment from the public and media attacks, because the goal, for him, supersedes any sort of validation the sport can award him.
"Of course I'm going to face backlash. This is bigger than me. This is bigger than football. This is bigger than anything that we have any different. This is about people. This is about bringing opportunities to people, giving people equality. This is bigger than a sport," Bennett said.
Bennett's protest came one day after the media took notice of Marshawn Lynch's absence during the National Anthem. Lynch was spotted off to the side on a cooler. After the game he informed reporters that whether they realized it or not, prior to retiring in 2015, he hadn't participated in the National Anthem for his entire career.
Source: espn.com
