Michael Bennett
refer to caption
Bennett in December 2013
No. 71, 72, 77, 79
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1985-11-13) November 13, 1985 (age 38)
Independence, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:274 lb (124 kg)
Career information
High school:Alief Taylor (Houston, Texas)
College:Texas A&M
Undrafted:2009
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:359
Sacks:69.5
Forced fumbles:10
Fumble recoveries:3
Pass deflections:5
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Michael Bennett Jr. (born November 13, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, and signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Bennett also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, and Dallas Cowboys. Over his career Bennett made three Pro Bowls and won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks. He is the brother of former tight end Martellus Bennett.

Early years

Bennett attended Alief Taylor High School in Houston, Texas, where he played football, baseball, and competed in track. In football, he earned first-team All-District honors as a defensive lineman in his senior year, after compiling 110 tackles and four sacks. He also earned honorable mention All-District honors as a junior. In track & field, Bennett was a standout discus thrower, with a top-throw of 45.72 meters (147 ft).[1] In addition, he also ran a 4.79-second 40-yard dash and jumped 36.5 inches in the vertical jump.[2]

College career

In 2005, as a freshman at Texas A&M, he made 27 tackles, including 3.5 quarterback sacks, while seeing action in all 11 games and starting 4. In 2006, he was the team's top tackler among defenders that did not start a game—he posted 27 tackles, including two sacks and 6 tackles for loss, while seeing action in every game. He also forced a pair of fumbles and batted down a pass. In 2007, he was selected to the honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference team at defensive end after registered 43 tackles including six tackles for a loss of yardage. In 2008, Bennett played in 11 games and made 42 tackles with 12.5 for losses and 2.5 sacks. He also played alongside his brother, Martellus Bennett, from 2006 to 2008 at Texas A&M.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+1⁄2 in
(1.92 m) 		274 lb
(124 kg) 		33+1⁄2 in
(0.85 m) 		9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		 5.13 s 1.62 s 2.84 s 31.0 in
(0.79 m)		 9 ft 2 in
(2.79 m)		 24 reps
All values from NFL Combine[3][4]

Seattle Seahawks (first stint)

Bennett was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seattle Seahawks on April 27, 2009.[5] An NFL Draft analyst noted that Bennett was not drafted probably due to his inconsistent performance in college. The team initially believed he could serve at left defensive end. After working with coaches during training camp, he was moved to the inside as a pass-rushing tackle.[6][7][8] During the preseason, he compiled nine tackles, two sacks, five QB hurries, a tipped pass and a fumble recovery.[9] He made the final roster by the end of the preseason.[10][11]

Bennett was waived by the Seahawks on October 10, 2009 in order to make room for offensive tackle Kyle Williams, who was signed off of the practice squad.[12]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bennett in 2012 with Tampa Bay

Bennett was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 12, 2009. Tampa Bay switched him back to defensive tackle, and he became a key part of the defense filling in for the injured Gerald McCoy.

Bennett's best season as a Buccaneer came in 2012 when he recorded career-highs in tackles (41), sacks (9), and forced fumbles (3).

Seattle Seahawks (second stint)

Bennett was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Seattle Seahawks on March 14, 2013.[13] He signed a 1-year contract reportedly worth $4.8 million, with $1.5 million guaranteed.[14] On March 24, 2013, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Bennett had a torn rotator cuff.[15] On December 2, 2013, Bennett scored his first NFL touchdown against the New Orleans Saints after recovering a fumble from the Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Bennett was a key contributor to the 2013 Seahawks defensive unit that ranked first in the NFL and went on to win Super Bowl XLVIII.

On March 10, 2014, the day before free agency began for the 2014 season, the Seahawks re-signed Bennett to a four-year, $28.5 million contract with $16 million guaranteed.[16] Rumors had previously stated that Michael could be joining his brother Martellus in Chicago.[17]

After the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game on January 18, 2015, Bennett commandeered a Seattle police officer's bicycle and took a victory lap around Century Link Field.[18]

In Super Bowl XLIX, with 18 seconds left in the end of the game, Bennett committed a neutral zone infraction. Afterward, a brawl ensued, which Bennett took part in. The Seahawks lost to the New England Patriots 24–28.

On October 22 of the 2015 season, in a game against the San Francisco 49ers, Michael Bennett recorded 3.5 sacks of Colin Kaepernick. The Seahawks won the game 20-3, and Bennett was named defensive player of the week for his performance.[19]

Eight games into the 2015 season, Bennett was ranked as the ninth-best edge defender in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. Through those eight games he had 31 total tackles (21 solo), 6.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 8 tackles for loss.[20] He was ranked 59th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[21]

On December 30, 2016, Bennett signed a three-year $31.5 million contract extension with the Seahawks, with one year still on his previous contract, now keeping Bennett signed through the 2020 season.[22][23] He was named to his second straight Pro Bowl in 2016, and was ranked 46th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[24]

On December 10, 2017, in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bennett struck the knees of Jaguars center Brandon Linder on a kneel down. This led to an altercation between the two teams, and that resulted in teammates Sheldon Richardson and Quinton Jefferson being ejected from the contest.[25]

On January 22, 2018, Bennett earned his third straight invite to the Pro Bowl after Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen could not attend due to injury.[26]

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 7, 2018, the Seahawks agreed to a trade that would send Bennett and a seventh round pick in the 2018 NFL draft to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for wide receiver Marcus Johnson and a fifth round draft pick.[27] The deal became official on March 14, 2018, at the start of the new NFL league year.[28] He played in all 16 games with 10 starts, recording 34 tackles, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles.

New England Patriots

On March 14, 2019, Bennett and a seventh-round selection in the 2020 NFL draft were traded to the New England Patriots in exchange for a fifth-round 2020 draft selection.[29] In week 2 against the Miami Dolphins, Bennett recorded his first sack of the season in the 43-0 win.[30] On October 15, Bennett was suspended by the Patriots for one game — a Monday Night Football matchup against the New York Jets — for conduct detrimental to the team. Bennett said his suspension was the result of a "philosophical disagreement" with his position coach, and apologized for his conduct.[31] He was reinstated from suspension on October 22, but his return was short-lived as he was traded just days later.[32]

Dallas Cowboys

Bennett in a game against the Washington Redskins

On October 24, 2019, Bennett was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a conditional 2021 sixth-round selection (#195-Roy Lopez).[32] He was acquired to offset the loss of defensive end Tyrone Crawford, who was placed on the injured reserve list on October 15.[33] He was a backup defensive end, registering 18 tackles (8 for loss), 4 sacks, and 24 quarterback pressures in 9 games. He was not re-signed after the season.

Retirement

On July 21, 2020, Bennett announced his retirement from the NFL after eleven seasons.[34]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Yds TD Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2009 SEA 0 0 DNP
TB 7 0 3 2 1 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2010 TB 13 2 15 13 2 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2011 TB 14 10 39 35 4 4.0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2012 TB 16 16 41 34 7 9.0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2
2013 SEA 16 3 31 18 13 8.5 1 1 22 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2014 SEA 16 16 38 26 12 7.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2015 SEA 16 16 52 33 19 10.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2016 SEA 11 11 34 24 10 5.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2017 SEA 16 16 40 25 15 8.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2018 PHI 16 10 34 25 9 9.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2019 NE 6 1 5 4 1 2.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
DAL 9 0 27 20 7 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
Career[35] 156 101 359 259 100 69.5 10 3 22 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 5

Awards and highlights

Post-NFL career

Philanthropy

Bennett, together with his wife, Pele, established The Bennett Foundation with the stated mission of promoting health and fitness in underserved communities.[36] The foundation operates out of Washington, Texas, and Hawaii, offering free and accessible education, children's camps and activities, and health screenings. The foundation organizes the yearly O.C.E.A.N. Health Fest has worked to develop in-school nutrition education programs.[37]

Mouthpeace

In January 2020, Bennett partnered with Lemonada Media to launch Mouthpeace with Michael and Pele, a weekly podcast exploring topics such as family, his career, American society, and culture. Bennett hosts the series alongside his wife, Pele.

The first episode of Mouthpeace was released on January 31, 2020, and subsequent guests have included Dr. John Carlos, Dawan Landry, Dr. Eddie Glaude, Beto O’Rourke, Edouardo Jordan, Laila Ali, and Cliff Avril.[38]

Personal life

Bennett has two sisters: Ashley Bennett and Renekia Leathers; and three brothers: Donte, Martellus, and Reshaud Bennett. Martellus also played in the NFL, a tight end who was drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys.[39]

Bennett's sack dance, in which he places his hands on his head and swivels his hips, was modeled after professional wrestler Rick Rude.[40]

Starting in 2017, Bennett began kneeling during the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before games. He said his stance was influenced by the violence at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.[41][42] Bennett declined a trip to Israel with other NFL players in 2017 citing his support for the Palestinian cause.[43]

In the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, Bennett endorsed Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary, praising him for his positions on climate control and social justice.[44] In the 2020 election, he again endorsed Sanders.[45][46]

In August 2020, Bennett, fellow athletes and voting rights activists joined VoteRiders to celebrate the legacy of Rep. John Lewis and mark the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act by helping eligible voters get the ID needed to cast a ballot. Bennett used the #makegoodtrouble hashtag on social media to honor Rep. Lewis.[47]

Legal issues

In August 2017, Bennett was involved in an incident outside a Las Vegas nightclub with two police officers. Bennett claimed that the officers used excessive force on him and stated the police "threatened to blow my head off."[48] The police have denied his accusations, and claim the video evidence does not corroborate Bennett's story. Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said he found no evidence that three officers who encountered Bennett racially profiled him or used excessive force against him.[49] The incident remains under investigation.[50][51][52][53]

On March 23, 2018, a warrant was issued for Bennett's arrest by police in Harris County, Texas for allegedly injuring an elderly paraplegic worker at Super Bowl LI, held 13 months previously.[54] On March 26 Bennett returned to the U.S. from outside the country (where he was when his arrest warrant was issued) and surrendered to police custody.[55] He posted a $10,000 bail bond and was set free.[56] Bennett pleaded not guilty in April.[57] The court date was postponed six times: in April, May,[58] June,[59] August,[60] September,[61] October,[62] and March 2019. On April 3, 2019, criminal charges against Bennett were dropped due to insufficient evidence.[63]

References

  1. ^ "Michael Bennett | Louisiana Tech | Seahawks DE". Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  2. ^ "Rivals.com". tamu.rivals.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014.
  3. ^ "Michael Bennett Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "Michael Bennett, Combine Results, DE - Texas A&M". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  5. ^ Johns, Greg (August 29, 2009). "A Seahawks sleeper: Rookie Bennett making his mark". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  6. ^ "Seahawks rookie tackles new role".[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ O'Neil, Danny (September 2, 2009). "Undrafted Michael Bennett showing size isn't everything on Seahawks' defensive line". The Seattle Times.
  8. ^ O'Neil, Danny (September 2, 2009). "Michael Bennett's move inside says something about Seattle's ends". The Seattle Times.
  9. ^ "Monday Morning QB".
  10. ^ "Seahawks final 53-man roster". Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  11. ^ "Poster players for perseverance".
  12. ^ "Seahawks add OT Williams, release DL Bennett". Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
  13. ^ Farnsworth, Clare (March 15, 2013). "MICHAEL BENNETT SIGNING IS OFFICIAL". Seattle Seahawks. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  14. ^ Spotrac.com. "Michael Bennett". Spotrac.com.
  15. ^ Wesseling, Chris (March 24, 2013). "Michael Bennett reportedly has torn rotator cuff". National Football League. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  16. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (March 10, 2014). "Michael Bennett re-signs with Seattle Seahawks". NFL.com. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  17. ^ Campbell, Rich (March 10, 2014). "Michael Bennett re-signs with Seahawks". Chicagotribune.com. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  18. ^ Quinton, Sean (January 18, 2015). "Michael Bennett takes a victory lap". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  19. ^ "Seattle Seahawks' Michael Bennett named NFC Defensive Player of the Week". October 28, 2015.
  20. ^ "Pro Football Focus - In-Depth Football Stats and Rankings". profootballfocus.com.
  21. ^ "'Top 100 Players of 2016': No. 59 Michael Bennett". NFL.com.
  22. ^ Orr, Conor (December 30, 2016). "Michael Bennett inks $31.5M extension with Seahawks". NFL.com.
  23. ^ Kapadia, Sheil (December 30, 2016). "Michael Bennett, Seahawks reach 3-year extension". ESPN.com.
  24. ^ "'Top 100 Players of 2017': No. 46 Michael Bennett". NFL.com.
  25. ^ "Michael Bennett sparked scuffle after dangerous cheap shot during Jaguars kneel-down". For the Win. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  26. ^ Boyle, John (January 22, 2018). "Seahawks Defensive End Michael Bennett Named To 2018 Pro Bowl Roster". Seahawks.com.
  27. ^ Sessler, Marc (March 7, 2018). "Seahawks trading DE Michael Bennett to Eagles". NFL.com.
  28. ^ "Eagles Acquire DE Michael Bennett From Seahawks". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. March 14, 2018. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  29. ^ McPherson, Chris (March 14, 2019). "Eagles acquire 2020 draft pick from New England for DE Michael Bennett". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  30. ^ "Newcomer Brown scores as Patriots beat Dolphins 43-0". www.espn.com. September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  31. ^ Schultz, Jordan [@schultz_report] (October 15, 2019). "Just spoke with #Pats DE Michael Bennett, who provided this statement to ESPN re his one-week suspension: "On Friday, I had a philosophical disagreement with my position coach that has led to my suspension. I apologize to my teammates for any distraction this may have caused."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ^ a b Abdeldaiem, Alaa (October 24, 2019). "Report: Patriots Trade DE Michael Bennet to Cowboys for 2021 Seventh-Round Pick". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  33. ^ "Jerry Jones: Nothing negative about DE Michael Bennett, he fits great with Cowboys". Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  34. ^ "Michael Bennett retires from the NFL after 11 seasons". NFL.com. July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  35. ^ "Michael Bennett Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  36. ^ "The Bennett Foundation | Community, Education, Activity & Nutrition". The Bennett Foundation. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  37. ^ Silverman, Robert (June 12, 2020). "Michael Bennett: Roger Goodell's Black Lives Matter Apology Is a 'Slap in the Face'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  38. ^ "Mouthpeace with Michael Bennett & Pele Bennett on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  39. ^ Gantt, Darin (March 8, 2014). "Bears appear to be looking for Bennett family reunion". NBCSports.com. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  40. ^ O'Neil, Danny (January 1, 2014). "Bennett's 'Rude' celebration has pro wrestling roots". KIRO-AM. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  41. ^ Lutz, Tom (August 14, 2017). "Michael Bennett sits for anthem with more NFL players set to follow". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  42. ^ "Seahawks' Michael Bennett Plans to Sit for National Anthem". The New York Times. Associated Press. August 14, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  43. ^ "What the NFL Players Refusing a Trip to Israel Can Learn from Muhammad Ali". February 15, 2017.
  44. ^ "Seattle Seahawks' Michael Bennett on Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders: 'He's my pick'". The Seattle Times. December 23, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  45. ^ @OurRev305 (March 4, 2019). "Michael Bennett is an Eagle, Super Bowl Champ, feminist, activist, organizer, & change maker. "I supported Bernie in 2016 bc we needed an unflinching vision for transforming our world that includes people of all identities & backgrounds. In 2020 I believe the same." #Bernie2020" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  46. ^ @Thomasurlatoile (March 4, 2019). "Super Bowl winner and author Michael Bennett (Philadelphia Eagles) endorses Bernie for President" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  47. ^ Bennett, Michael. "Tomorrow marks 55 years..." Facebook. Meta. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  48. ^ "NFL's Michael Bennett says police threatened to 'blow my head off'". NBC News.
  49. ^ "Vegas police release body cam footage, say Michael Bennett was not mistreated, profiled". Associated Press. September 30, 2017.
  50. ^ Boren, Cindy (September 6, 2017). "'Terrified and confused': Seahawks' Michael Bennett tells of traumatic police encounter". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  51. ^ Michael Bennett [@mosesbread72] (September 6, 2017). "Equality" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  52. ^ Spain, Kevin (September 7, 2017). "Las Vegas police: 'No evidence' race played role in Michael Bennett incident". KHOU. USA Today. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  53. ^ Around the NFL staff (September 6, 2017). "Bennett: Las Vegas incident a very 'traumatic :( experience'". National Football League. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  54. ^ Breech, John (March 23, 2018). "Eagles' Michael Bennett indicted on felony charge, has warrant out for arrest". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  55. ^ Kerr, Jeff (March 26, 2018). "Michael Bennett's lawyer defends client upon surrender". 247Sports. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  56. ^ McManus, Tim (March 30, 2018). "Michael Bennett to plead not guilty if case reaches trial". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  57. ^ Kerr, Jeff (June 12, 2018). "Michael Bennett takes the high road regarding his arrest". 247Sports. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  58. ^ "Michael Bennett has court date pushed back again". 247Sports. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  59. ^ "Michael Bennett has court date delayed once again". 247Sports. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  60. ^ "Michael Bennett court date pushed back once again". 247Sports. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  61. ^ "Michael Bennett court date postponed...again". 247Sports. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  62. ^ "Michael Bennett court date has been pushed back again". 247Sports. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  63. ^ "Charges against Michael Bennett dropped because of insufficient evidence". Houston Chronicle. April 3, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

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