Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett penned an open letter claiming that he was racially profiled and stopped by Las Vegas police after the Floyd Mayweather-vs.-Conor McGregor fight Aug. 26. According to Bennett’s Twitter post, he was leaving the T-Mobile Arena when he and others in the crowd heard what they believed to be gunshots. Bennett ran, as did everyone else, but police stopped and harassed him, according to Bennett:
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Since he posted the letter, TMZ Sports has found footage of the arrest, which shows one officer on a balcony with his gun drawn and another officer cuffing Bennett, who lies facedown on the concrete. Bennett can be heard asking the officer why he’s being cuffed. He even calls the officer “sir.”
Bennett, who is not only the most woke football player still playing but also brothers in the struggle with current free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, ended his missive by noting that he’s hired an attorney to “investigate and explore all my legal options.” And this, friends, is how you fight back against a system that doesn’t respect you.
Since posting his open letter, Bennett has received an outpouring of support on social media, and Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, issued a statement calling Bennett a “victim of police brutality.”
“Michael Bennett and I met during Charleena Lyles’ rally in August. He was very clear that he is an activist first. I can’t believe that a month later I am supporting him as a victim of police brutality,” Cullors said. She added:
As 45 and his administration continues to roll back the civil and human rights of Black people and other marginalized people, I believe it is our duty to show up and stand up for one another. Black Lives Matter has teamed up with Color of Change to launch this petition on behalf of Michael. We have been working with local Las Vegas groups to ensure they get the justice they deserve for the harms caused against them by Las Vegas P.D.
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