Seahawk Michael Bennett Will Sit For National Anthem This Season

RENTON, WA — Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett is well known for his commitment to social justice causes. He's bringing that activism to the field this season, pledging to sit during the national anthem during the 2017 season as a protest against injustice. Bennett's protest seemed to be inspired by the attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, and came one day after former teammate Marshawn Lynch sat during the anthem during an NFL preseason game.

“Seeing everything in Virginia and stuff that is going on,” Bennett said after the game Sunday. "I just wanted to be able to use my platform to continuously speak out on injustice.”

The movement among NFL players to sit during the anthem was started last season by former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick has been demonized for his protests, however, and many suspect his NFL career is over because of it.

Here's what Bennett told the Seattle Times about his protest:

“I love hot dogs like any other American. I love football like any other American. But I don’t love segregation, I don’t love riots, I don’t love oppression. I don’t love gender slander. I just want to see people have the equality that they deserve, and I want to be able to use this platform to continuously push the message and keep finding out how unselfish we can be in society, how we can continuously love one another and understand that people are different. And just because people are different doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t like them. Just because they don’t eat what you eat, just because they don’t pray to the same God you pray to doesn’t mean you should hate them. Whether it is Muslim, whether it is Buddhist, whether it is Christianity, I just want people to understand that no matter what, we need to stay together. It’s more about being a human being at this point.”

Image via Anthony Arnove/Haymarket Books