Protests to continue:
Seahawks’ Michael Bennett says he’ll keep sitting for “The StarSpangled Banner” and fully expects a backlash.
Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett plans to sit during the national anthem this season to protest social injustice — and expects a backlash over an issue that is “bigger than a sport.”
He sat on the visiting bench during the anthem before Sunday’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, a decision he made before weekend protests by white supremacists in Virginia.
The violence in Charlottesville, Va., including the death of a young woman struck by a car deliberately driven into a group of counterprotesters Saturday, solidified Bennett’s decision.
“With everything that’s been going on the last couple of months and especially after the last couple of days, seeing everything in Virginia, seeing what’s going on out there earlier today in Seattle, I just wanted to be able to use my platform to be able to continue to speak over injustice,” Bennett said.
“First of all, I want people to understand I love the military. My father was in the military. I love hot dogs like any other American. I love football like any other American, but I don’t love segregation,” he added. “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 of that, you know, and keep journeying out and keep finding out how unselfish can we be as a society.”
Monday afternoon, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that while the playing of the anthem is a special moment to him, “We also have to understand the other side.”
Goodell made the comments at University of Phoenix Stadium during a question-andanswer period with Cardinals club seat holders. Season-ticket holder Bruce Olson asked Goodell whether players were going to continue to protest during the anthem and if anything could be done about it.
“It’s one of those things where I think we have to understand that there are people that have different viewpoints,” Goodell said. “The national anthem is a special moment to me. It’s a point of pride. But we also have to understand the other side, that people do have rights and we want to respect those.”
Olson, who described himself as a season-ticket holder “since day one.” said the commissioner “beat around the bush.”
“The thing is, all he (Lynch) has to do is stand up for two minutes and he can still have whatever beliefs he wants. Go with what looks good for the game and to the people,” Olson said. “He (Goodell) makes rules and, ‘You do this, you do that,’ why can’t he just say, ‘You stand up. You can believe what you want or do what you want. Just stand up like a man.’ ”
Bennett was at least the third prominent NFL player to sit during the anthem in the first full week of preseason games. Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch, a former teammate of Bennett’s in Seattle, also sat. Rams defensive end Robert Quinn raised his right fist, continuing his approach from last season following then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel for the anthem.
Kaepernick is a free agent, and the fallout from his protest has not abated, even as he remains unsigned.
Bennett is willing to deal with similar consequences.
“Of course, I’m going to face backlash,” he said. “This is bigger than me. This is bigger than football. This is bigger than anything that we have. This is about people. This is about bringing opportunities to people, giving people equality. This is bigger than a sport.”
Bennett said the aim of his protest is to make people uncomfortable. In the process, he hopes to spur greater communication, understanding and involvement across racial, gender and socioeconomic lines.
“Everyone is in their comfort zone right now,” Bennett said. “Get out there and become uncomfortable. Go out there and see what it’s like out there in society right now.”