Watch The REAL Police Takedown of the Seahawks’ Michael Bennett

  |  
Oct 1, 2017
YouTube screenshot

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett has been at the center of the #TakeAKnee movement and the NFL’s recent National Anthem protests. He has taken over as the de facto leader of the trend that Colin Kaepernick, who is currently unemployed, started last season.

Bennett is one of the highest profile players involved in the movement, and recently accused Las Vegas police of brutality and racism stemming from an incident in which he was detained after the Mayweather-McGregor fight in Las Vegas. The following is his full statement, posted to his Twitter account:

Bennett claims that the police detention was racially motivated, and that the Las Vegas Metro Police Department officer put a gun to his head and threatened to “blow [his] fucking head off.”

Yesterday, TMZ released bodycam footage that shows this claim to be false. The officer neither threatened to kill Bennett, nor drew his weapon.

(TMZ Sports)

Bennett’s statement also claimed that “All [he] could think was, ‘I’m going to die for no other reason than I am black, and somehow my skin color is a threat.’” In response, LVMPD made a point to note that of the three officers who detained Bennett, two were Latino and one was African American. LVMPD reviewed a total of 861 bodycam videos before coming to the conclusion that the detainment was justified.

Police rushed to the Cromwell Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on the night of the Mayweather-McGregor fight, responding to a shots fired call. At the scene, they instructed patrons to drop to the ground. They observed Bennett crouching, and then running out of the building. Fitting the description of the suspect, police gave chase, leading to Bennett’s detainment.

Follow me on Twitter: @pdabrosca

Our Latest Articles