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The New England Patriots are suspending one of their top players.
According to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Patriots are suspending three-time Pro Bowler Michael Bennett due to conduct detrimental to the team. The suspension is for one week, meaning the 33-year-old defensive end will miss Week 7’s Monday Night game against the New York Jets.
It would seem Bennett’s suspension was in the making for awhile. The veteran defensive end played a season-low 13 snaps in the team’s Week 6 win over the New York Giants and was not seen at practice earlier on Tuesday despite the fact that he wasn’t listed on the injury report as of late at all.
Bennett’s Suspension Due to ‘Philosophical’ Disagreement
The only thing known regarding Bennett’s suspension is this report from ESPN’s Jordan Schultz. According to Schultz, Bennett addressed the situation and said that the suspension is due to a “philosophical” disagreement with his position coach.
“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.”
The Patriots list Bret Bielema as their defensive line coach, so one would assume that the disagreement was with Bielema.
Still, the situation is an odd one if Bennett is disclosing the entire story. One has to wonder what type of “philosophical” disagreement that they both got into that led to Bennett’s one-week suspension.
Through the first six games of the season (one started), the veteran defensive end had posted five tackles and 2.5 sacks as the primary backup at right defensive end. For his career, Bennett is one of the most established pass rushers in the league, posting 65.5 career sacks. He was named to the Pro Bowl three consecutive years from 2015 until 2017 as a member of the Seattle Seahawks and won a Super Bowl with them at the conclusion of the 2013 season.
We’ll keep you updated here at Heavy as soon as more information becomes available regarding this story.
N’Keal Henry Returns from Injured Reserve
In some positive Patriots news, we’re likely looking at the upcoming debut of first-round draft pick N’Keal Henry.
The Patriots officially brought their top rookie off of injured reserve and he was seen practicing on Tuesday. According to Ryan Hannable of WEEI, Henry can make his debut as soon as Nov. 3 against the Baltimore Ravens — which would be in Week 9.
Furthermore, the Patriots are now only allowed to bring one more player off of injured reserve.
“For starters, rookie wide out N’Keal Harry was present, meaning he is one of the Patriots’ two players designated to come off injured reserve. Harry can first appear in a game Nov. 3 against the Ravens. He was placed on IR before the start of the season after dealing with a leg/ankle/foot injury since the early stages of the preseason.
The Patriots have one more player who can come off IR, and that seems likely to be offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn. This would mean James Develin and Jakob Johnson will be done for the year.”
Henry was the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and was placed on injured reserve as a result of an ankle injury suffered during training camp.
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