Michael Bennett isn't planning on standing up for the national anthem anytime soon. The Seahawks defensive end, an outspoken supporter of Colin Kaepernick, took a seat during the playing of the national anthem prior to the Seahawks preseason game against the Chargers on Sunday in Los Angeles.
After the game, Bennett said he plans to keep sitting for the anthem for the entire season, pointing out that he just wants everyone to get along.
"I want to be able to use this platform to continuously push the message … of how unselfish you can be as a society," Bennett said via King5.com. "How we can continuously love one another and understand that people are different, and just because they're different, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't like them. Because they don't smell the way you smell and they don't eat what you eat, because they don't pray to the same god that you pray to, doesn't mean that you should hate them.
"Whether it's Muslim or Buddhists or Christianity, whatever it is, I just want people to understand that no matter what, we're in this thing together. It's more about being a human being at this point."
Here is the thing about Bennett's stance, regardless of whether you like people sitting out the national anthem or not: He has the right to sit for anything and he's not wrong. People are out there being mean to one another and it's not necessary.
It's also not about the military for Bennett, who is the son of a military veteran.
"First of all, I want people to understand that I love the military," Bennett said. "My father's in the military. I love hot dogs like any other American. I love football like any other American. But I don't love segregation. I don't love riots or oppression. I just want to see people have the equality that they deserve. And I want to be able to use this platform to continuously push the message of that."
Bennett has previously been outspoken about Colin Kaepernick's decision to take a seat during the national anthem, noting that he firmly believes Kap is being blackballed by the NFL (and saying he would he love for the Seahawks to bring Kaepernick in as a backup). The decision by Bennett to sit comes just a day after Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch drew attention for sitting on a Gatorade cooler during the national anthem prior to Oakland's preseason game. Both decisions come shortly after a white nationalist protest in Charlottesville erupted in violence, leaving three people dead.
Seahawks players previously debated protesting a 2016 preseason game by linking arms prior to the start of the contest, amid the Kaepernick controversy. A member of the Seahawks coaching staff told ESPN's Jim Trotter that the team is fine with Bennett's decision "as long as Michael is preaching love and not hate."
Bennett is fully aware of what his decision entails, particularly in an age of social media, when anonymous fans can fire vitriol with few, if any, repercussions.
"I'm being vulnerable right now," Bennett said. "There's a whole bunch of people sitting at home judging me, but they will never get to this point where they can be vulnerable. Let people attack me because they don't believe what I believe in, but at the end of the day, I'm being vulnerable to show every person that no matter [what] you believe in, keep fighting for it. Keep fighting for equality. Keep fighting for oppressed people. And keep trying to change society."