Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett has been suspended for an undetermined amount of time and fined by the team in the wake of his fight with rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller at Monday’s practice. The scuffle, which took place during a red zone drill, resulted in head coach Marc Trestman ending practice early.
Fuller brought Bennett to the ground during a portion of practice that was supposed to be light contact. Players are allowed to hit one another but are not supposed to bring each other to the ground. It looked like Fuller was trying to strip the ball from Bennett when he ended up swinging him to the turf. Bennett responded by getting in the rookie’s face and slamming him to the ground.
“I come to training camp for one reason and that’s to prepare to win a championship,” Bennett after practice, via Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com. “I play hard and go hard every single day. I’m probably one of the most violent people on the field. That’s just my style of play. I’m going to continue to play the same way I always play. That’s what I’m here for.”
Bennett refused to apologize for the way he reacted. He said his goal is to help the Bears win a championship, not to create friendships. He also downplayed Trestman’s decision to fine him.
“I can afford it,” Bennett said. “I’m not sure what he’ll fine me for on that.”
The 27-year-old Bennett has shown in the past that he can have somewhat of a temper. If he goes after a defender during an actual game like he went after Fuller, he would likely be flagged and ejected. That’s probably why Trestman has chosen to give him some time off.
H/T Rotoworld
