Bennett: White players can aid anthem protests
Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said the conversation about anthem protests would change if white players became part of the movement.
“It would take a white player to really get things changed,” Bennett said Wednesday on ESPN, “because when somebody from the other side understands and they step up and they speak up about it . . . it would change the whole conversation. Because when you bring somebody who doesn’t have to be a part of [ the] conversation making himself vulnerable in front of it, I think when that happens, things will really take a jump.”
Bennett said he had been thinking about sitting for the anthem all summer but made the decision over the weekend, following the events in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Seahawks signed former San Francisco 49ers starting cornerback Tramaine Brock to a one- year contract.
Bowles won’t stand in way
Jets coach Todd Bowles will not stand in the way of any of his players protesting during the national anthem. No Jets players have indicated that they would opt to not stand during the performance of “The StarSpangled Banner” as thenNiners quarterback Colin Kaepernick did last season. But Bowles made it clear that those actions would be each player’s prerogative.
“It’s their individual right,” the coach said after practice. “We don’t have a rulebook on what’s right to protest and not protest.”
Jets receiver Lucky Whitehead will have surgery this week on his broken foot, leaving the team’s kickoff and punt return duties uncertain. Whitehead could potentially return this season, but it’s uncertain how much time he will miss.
Saints to change doctors
Saints coach Sean Payton says cornerback Delvin Breaux needs lower- leg surgery that will sideline him about six weeks and that the initial misdiagnosis of Breaux’s injury has sparked a shake- up in the team’s medical staff.
Payton says he had been getting frustrated with the pace of Breaux’s recovery, based on the initial diagnosis. The coach says the Saints will replace two orthopedic surgeons.
Browns to start Osweiler
Browns quarterback Brock Osweiler will start the second preseason game Monday night against the Giants, with rookie DeShone Kizer moving up to second team, coach Hue Jackson announced.