SteemSports Presenter: Scott Frank,
A new case of potential racial profiling and police brutality is rocking the sports world. Seattle Seahawks Defensive End Michael Bennett was in Las Vegas for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Conor McGregor fight on Saturday, August 26th. The city was packed with tourists from all over the world for the fight.
Bennett was with a group of friends after the fight ended. They were leaving the casino when they heard what they thought were gunshots. Like any normal human being, he and his friends started to run. That is the natural thing to do when you fear that your life is in jeopardy. As Bennett tried to run, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department appeared to single him out and they immediately pulled their guns out and started yelling at Bennett. One officer pinned him down on the ground and another officer held a gun to his head. The officer with the gun reportedly said, “Don't move Mother F#%%er or I will blow your brains out.”
Bennett was pinned down for about 10 minutes total. He appeared to be very respectful and was insistent that he had done nothing wrong. After the police learned who he was, he was finally released. Bennett was very upset from the confrontation and a video that has now come out shows how disgusting the event may have been for him.
There has been an explosion of opinions on all sides. Bennett is one of the NFL players that joined Colin Kaepernick last year by refusing to stand for the National Anthem to protest police brutality. Now, in an ironic twist of fate, he is the focus of alleged brutality that is taking over the headlines on tv, radio, social media, and print.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has this to say:
Michael Bennett is now filing a Civil Right Case for “unlawful detention” due to the events of that night. He has hired famous Civil Rights Attorney, John Burris, who has said that Bennett feared for his life. Bennett has made some statements that have been filled with emotion. His brother, star tight end for the Green Bay Packers Martellus Bennett, was shown crying on camera about this situation. You can bet that Bennett’s attorney, John Burris, will be all over TV in the coming days.
This case has the potential to pour gasoline onto an already frustrating racial divide in our country and especially between African Americans and the Police. Race relations could not be worse right now and this will get nonstop coverage leading into the opening weekend of the NFL. How will the league react to this? Will there be a league wide National Anthem protest?
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police held a press conference last night. They showed the video to the press and discussed the events that took place. They had a very difficult time explaining what had happened. They do have one of the toughest jobs in the world. They literally are making life or death decisions in seconds on a daily basis. But no department or person is perfect and this matter deserves the attention it is getting.
Are you following this breaking story? What do you think of the video? What do you anticipate on Sunday during the National Anthems? Thank you for following
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