Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett is no stranger to speaking out on issues that impact society. In the wake of the national attention being placed on the relationship between law enforcement and the black community, Bennett applauded the stars in the NBA and WNBA for taking the lead to enact change and encouraged his sports’ stars to do the same.
In a training camp interview courtesy of ESPN, Bennett spoke his mind on the subject:
The women and WNBA have really stood up for what they want, and I think that it’s time for the players in the NFL. But a lot of things in the NFL are so broken. You don’t see a lot of great players talking about things socially, whether it’s Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers, all of these guys, they’re white. They don’t have to deal with the things that we deal with as black players, so it’s not as many.
Bennett brings up an interesting idea here. The NFL is predominantly black based on percentage. But, the league’s marquee position (quarterback) is largely made up of white men. Bennett is right, the issues facing the black community may not speak directly to someone like Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning. However throughout the history of this country, social change for minorities has never been accomplished without the help of the majority. Bennett goes on to say:
In the NBA, everybody is standing up for it, so the greatest players are in the forefront of the movement. Here in the NFL, the greatest players aren’t in the forefront of the movement. Whether it’s the CBA, whether it’s things going on with trying to change the way — concussions. The greatest players aren’t involved like LeBron James, Chris Paul and all these guys [in the NBA]. Our great players are sitting back just taking the dollars, whether it’s Cam Newton, all these guys. They’re not really on the forefront of trying to change what’s going on.
Kudos to Bennett for calling out the top guys in his league. He is 100% correct, they are not as out front as the guys in the NBA. Maybe it has something to do with the culture of the NFL, where despite quarterbacks being the stars, the league does not put a premium on individualism. Group think and conformity is the way the NFL likes to do business. Nothing is above the shield. Right or wrong, the NBA allows its players to take up their personal causes and fight for what they believe in. But for the NFL and its stars, Bennett is right they need to step to the forefront. If ‘All Lives Matter’ this will include stars of all races.