Written by ESPN’s News Staff at ESPN.com
Seattle Seahawks star defensive end Michael Bennett has accused police officers of pointing guns at him and using excessive force during an incident in Las Vegas last month.
Bennett posted a statement on his Twitter account Wednesday, saying that he felt “terrified” and “helpless,” and announced that he is considering filing a civil rights lawsuit.
According to Bennett, the incident occurred in the early-morning hours on Aug. 27 after the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight in Las Vegas, when police apprehended him after hearing what sounded like gunshots in a crowded area.
Bennett said officers pointed guns at him “for doing nothing more than simply being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time” and ordered him to lie down on the ground.
Bennett wrote that one officer, with his gun drawn, warned him that he would “blow my f—— head off” if he moved. Another officer jammed his knee into Bennett’s back and handcuffed him, according to Bennett.
“The Officers’ excessive use of force was unbearable,” Bennett wrote. “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.'”
Bennett said he was placed in a police car before officers confirmed his identity, realized he was not a suspect and released him “without any legitimate justification for the Officers’ abusive conduct.”
“They apparently realized I was not a thug, common criminal or ordinary black man but Michael Bennett a famous professional football player,” he wrote.
Bennett described the incident as “traumatic” during a brief appearance Wednesday at the Seahawks’ facility.
To continue reading this article, click here.
