Michael Bennett says he was a victim of racism and assault at the hands of some Las Vegas police officers last month, and the Seattle Seahawks star has hired a civil rights attorney to handle the case.
In a statement he released on Twitter Wednesday, Bennett revealed that he was heading back to his hotel after the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight on Aug. 26 when he was confronted and assaulted by police for being “a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He, along with a crowd of people, was running away from an area where a sound that sounded like gun shots had come from. Bennett says he was unarmed and had done nothing wrong, but that didn’t stop one officer from placing a gun near his head and “threatening to blow my f—ing head off.”
Equality. pic.twitter.com/NQ4pJt94AZ
— Michael Bennett (@mosesbread72) September 6, 2017
Bennett said he is exploring the possibility of filing a civil rights lawsuit against the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He described the officers’ use of excessive force as “unbearable” and said he believed he was going to die “for no other reason than I am black and my skin color is somehow a threat.”
John Burris, Bennett’s attorney, released a statement of his own Wednesday, adding that Bennett was only released from custody after officers confirmed he was an NFL player. An investigation revealed that no gun shots had been fired.
Bennett has been a big advocate for civil rights over the past several years, and he is one of many players who have protested during the national anthem. He recently explained why he will continue to kneel during the national anthem before games.
