Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett has been one of the league’s more vocal protestors, willing to sit during the national anthem to bring attention to the causes he believes in.
But while he doesn’t agree with either the NFL’s new policy requiring players on the field to stand, or the President whose pressure inspired that policy, Bennett doesn’t sound like a man who wants to extend this particular fight.
Via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Bennett spoke at a book signing in Seattle last night and reiterated that his decision to sit during the anthem “was never about the flag.”
“It isn’t so much about the gesture anymore,” Bennett said. “We don’t have to take a knee. We just have to work in our communities.”
Bennett said he would have preferred a different policy, but had no idea how other players would respond.
“I don’t have any predictions,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.’’
As other players have, Bennett made a point to say the attention should be on the work players are doing in communities to remedy social problems. Of course, that should have probably been the case before, prior to people hijacking the issue for political advantage.