Michael Bennett has been facing a felony charge stemming from an incident in which he allegedly injured an elderly person at the Super Bowl in 2017, but that charge has now been dropped.
According to ESPN, prosecutors in Harris County moved on Wednesday to dismiss the felony charge of injury to the elderly against Bennett.
“After looking at all the evidence and applying the law, a crime could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” Harris County District Attorney’s Office chief of staff Vivian King said in a press release. “There was probable cause to warrant a charge initially, but after a careful review of all the pre-charge and post-charge evidence, we cannot prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Bennett was facing up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted. Officials said they conducted an “extensive review” that included reviewing surveillance footage from NRG Stadium in Houston, where Bennett was in attendance to watch his brother Martellus play in the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots.
The allegations against Bennett stated that he shoved a 66-year-old paraplegic woman who was working security during the Super Bowl as he was making his way onto the field after the game. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Bennett told people, “You all must know who I am, and I can own this m—–f—–. I’m going down to the field, whether you like it or not.” The woman allegedly suffered a sprained shoulder. Bennett’s attorney flat-out denied that the incident took place.
Bennett, who was traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Patriots this offseason, had some other legal issues in 2017 when he said was the victim of racial profiling and physical abuse from police in Las Vegas. The department blasted him over the accusations.
