Britt McHenry has completely embraced her status as a controversial sports media figure since she was laid off by ESPN, so you probably won’t be surprised to hear her thoughts on the recent situation with Michael Bennett.
In a post she wrote for The Federalist, McHenry hinted that she believes it was convenient for Bennett to have been allegedly assaulted by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers because the Seattle Seahawks star has been so outspoken about civil rights.
In Bennett’s statement, titled “Equality,” Bennett accused the police officers of using excessive force and wrote, “The officer’s excessive use of force was unbearable. I felt helpless as I lay there on the ground handcuffed facing the real-life threat of being killed. All I could think of was ‘I’m going to die for no other reason than I am black and my skin color is somehow a threat.’ My life flashed before my eyes as I thought of my girls.”
Apparently another thought later crossed his mind: How this story fits neatly into his decision to kneel for the anthem. Now equipped with personal experience, Bennett vowed to continue Kaepernick’s protest this season. Additionally, Bennett said he had hired Oakland-based civil rights attorney John Burris to investigate the case.
On Thursday, the president of the LVMPD union blasted Bennett for his “false accusations” and defended the officers who detained the 31-year-old. Las Vegas police are still conducting an investigation using over 100 video clips from the night Bennett was handcuffed, though they have already said they are confident race was not a factor. McHenry feels video footage has already confirmed that.
Here’s what we saw in released footage so far, just a few of the 120 clips recorded: The LVPD body-camera footage shows many African-American casino patrons were in the officers’ vicinity. Thus, it’s difficult to imagine one person in that crowd being singled out solely for the color of his skin. In fact, Bennett’s attorney told Matt Markovitch of KOMO-TV that race wasn’t a factor in Bennett’s arrest but lack of probable cause was.
Bennett has hired a civil rights attorney and is planning to file a lawsuit. The LVMPD feels its officers followed protocol in a situation where there were reports of an active shooter (which ended up being unfounded) and Bennett was acting “suspicious.”
As we said, McHenry has embraced her ability to spark political debates. She even had a recent exchange with an NBA star on social media, so she must have been itching to share her thoughts on Bennett’s run-in with police.
