NFL star: cop threatened to blow my head off
SEATTLE Seahawks star Michael Bennett on Wednesday accused police in Las Vegas of racism and excessive force after a gunpoint confrontation following the recent Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight.
In a post on Twitter titled “Equality”, Bennett detailed how he was detained by police following the August 26 fight as a crowd scattered after hearing what was feared to be gunshots.
Bennett, who has spoken out in support of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s anthem protests over police brutality, said he was targeted by law enforcement because of his ethnicity.
“Like many of the people in the area I ran away from the sound, looking for safety,” Bennett wrote. “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.”
Bennett said that after obeying an instruction by a police officer to get on the ground, the same officer held a gun to his head and warned he would “blow my f— head off”.
“Terrified and confused by what was taking place, a second officer came over and forcefully jammed his knee into my back making it difficult for me to breathe,” he added. “They then cinched handcuffs on my wrists so tight that my fingers went numb.”
At a press conference later on Wednesday, Las Vegas Metro Police Department undersheriff Kevin McMahill rejected Bennett’s claim of racial profiling.
“I can tell you, I see no evidence that race played any role in this incident,” McMahill said as he confirmed an internal investigation was underway.
Although Las Vegas police are required to wear body cameras, the officer who confronted Bennett did not have his switched on.
“I don’t know why that was, but that will be part of the investigation,” McMahill said.
‘I’m going to die’
In his statement on Twitter, Bennett said he had feared death during the incident.
“All I could think of was ‘I’m going to die for no other reason than I am black and my skin color is somehow a threat’,” Bennett wrote.
He said he was later released after officers “apparently realised I was not a thug, common criminal or ordinary black man but Michael Bennett, a famous professional football player.”
Bennett said the incident made him even more determined to sit during renditions of the national anthem, “because equality doesn’t live in this country”.
Speaking to reporters at the Seahawks training facility later on Wednesday, Bennett described the incident as a “traumatic experience”.
“It sucks that the country we live in now sometimes you get profiled for the colour of your skin,” he told reporters.
“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 colour of their skin? I do believe that.”
Bennett said he had retained a lawyer with a view to launching civil litigation.
Meanwhile, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll described the case as all too typical.
“What happened with Michael is a classic illustration of the reality of inequalities that are demonstrated daily,” Carroll said.
“May this incident inspire all of us to respond with compassion when inequalities are brought to light and allow us to have the courage to stand for change. We can do better than this.”
Bennett also drew words of support from the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“Michael Bennett represents the best of the NFL – a leader on his team and in his community,” Goodell said in a statement.
“The issues Michael has been raising deserve serious attention from all of our leaders in every community.”