When the Bears suspended tight end Martellus Bennett for conduct detrimental to the team last week after he slammed cornerback Kyle Fuller to the ground, it came with an indefinite length.
It wound up being a five-day ban as Bennett made his return to Bears camp on Sunday. Coach Marc Trestman said last week that there would be an open dialogue with Bennett before he returned to work and Bennett confirmed that he spoke with the coach without divulging the content of their conversations. He also didn’t discuss the conditions the team imposed before he’d be permitted back at practice beyond saying that he did everything the team asked “extremely well.”
“Everything in life is about learning lessons. Whatever situation you’re going on through life, you always learn from it. Whether it’s good or bad, there’s always a lesson or moral to the story,” Bennett said, via the Chicago Tribune. “I think I could have handled the situation differently. We could talk about it right now, but, really, any way differently from what I did.”
Assuming there are no further flare-ups, the Bears should have their 65-catch tight end in the lineup come September while also making Trestman’s point about the need to be trusting and respectful of your teammates.