When the Bears signed tight end Martellus Bennett, they knew they were getting someone who likes to stir things up on the practice field. And that’s just what Bennett did today.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Bennett got into it with defensive backs Major Wright, Chris Conte, Craig Steltz and Kelvin Hayden, and was swinging with punches before things settled down. Bennett was unapologetic afterward.
“It’s hot, you know,” Bennett said. “I am actually a mean person. I know you all think I joke around and [stuff] but I am not. I am very aggressive. They are aggressive with me, I am aggressive with them. You come hard at me, I come hard at you all day. I mean, I don’t back down for anything, anyone. It’s just the way I play. That’s how I play. So, it started feeling like a game, there was tackling, so I turned into game mode.”
Bears coach Marc Trestman didn’t seem to think the fight was a problem.
“During the course of training camp, these things will happen,” Trestman said. “I don’t think it festered, I don’t think it lingered. The guys are extremely professional. We moved on to the next play, it became a highly competitive practice. The guys kept their composure and moved on. That’s what we would expect. It’s going to happen in a game where somebody’s going to lose their mind. When one guy does, it’s not who he is, he just lost his composure for a minute.”
The Bears just need Bennett not to lose his composure on Sundays.