Getty Michael Bennett
Michael Bennett is a Super Bowl champion and three-time Pro Bowler. He’s also a veteran on the podcast circuit.
Bennett, who recorded nine sacks in his lone season for the Eagles, has always been a person quick to speak his mind. The free-agent defensive end recently joined Chris Long’s “Green Light” podcast to discuss the outrage over the senseless killing of George Floyd. He touched on many things, including how white people can help the Black Lives Matter movement and understanding Martin Luther King’s legacy.
And, random and unprompted, Bennett chimed in on a raging debate in Philadelphia. Better quarterback, Nick Foles or Carson Wentz? (Patriots safety Devin McCourty was a guest on the show, too, as transcribed by SportsRadio 94WIP)
Long: I look at the Carson Wentz situation, someone I always knew had it in him. If you play with Carson, he is a good guy, but you don’t know if he has that intestinal fortitude to be that first one to step over the line–
Bennett: Nick Foles is better.
Long: He said Nick Foles is better.
McCourty: Yes (laughter)
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How About Changing the Redskins Racist Name?
Bennett has been a willing activist and passionate advocate for change throughout his career. He took the stage at Princeton University in 2019 for a talk on race and the black experience and appears on a variety of podcasts to voice his strong opinions.
One radical idea he proposed to help fight systemic racism on Long’s podcast involved tweaking a certain team in the NFC East. Actually, maybe it’s an obvious one. What if the Washington Redskins simply changed their name?
“I think the Redskins can change their name. That’s one way, that’s a start right there,” Bennett told Long, as transcribed by Yahoo! Sports. “You say the league is not racist, and you have a team that literally has a racial slur for its name? The Redskins? What if it was the White skins, or the Black skins, or the Yellowskins? People would be upset, right? To me, that’s one way.”
New #GreenlightPod with @mosesbread72 & @McCourtyTwins (join @ 27:00)
Plus an important thread from @greg_doucette (@ 8:00), my take on @drewbrees & why I thought he missed the mark (@ 14:00)
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Bennett Tells White People to ‘Start Studying’
One tangible thing that white folks can do to help the Black Lives Matter movement is to start studying, according to Bennett. History has a strange way of repeating itself and learning about America’s litany of blatant racism can go a long way in ensuring it doesn’t keep happening. Bennett called out the cases of Emmett Till, Medgar Evers, Steven Biko, among others.
“I think white people need to start studying. As a black man, I can’t tell you how to not be racist,” Bennett said. “I can’t tell you how to be inclusive. I can’t tell you any of those things. That’s a self-journey. That’s a self-awareness journey.
“This protest, with George Floyd and these things, there’s history behind it. I implore white people to do some research. Go look at Emmett Till. Go look at Steven Biko. Go look at Nelson Mandela, Patrice Lumumba. Go look at what happened to Medgar Evers, when he was killed in front of his house. Go look at what happened to those girls who were bombed in Alabama.”
Bennett also wrote a book titled “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable” in 2018. It was a New York Times bestseller and detailed how professional athletes need to speak out against social injustice.
Pro Bowler Wants to Finish Career in Seattle
There has been some hushed chatter about where Bennett might play football in 2020. He’s a free agent, one with 69.5 career sacks. Philadelphia and Dallas have both been mentioned but neither is likely as things ended awkwardly during his previous stints in those two cities.
The 34-year-old enjoyed his biggest successes in Seattle and has talked about wanting to retire there. Remember, he won a Super Bowl in 2014 and made three straight Pro Bowls (2015-17) as a member of the Seahawks. He would cherish a nostalgic return to the Pacific Northwest.
“I would love to end my career in Seattle,” Bennett said, via NBC Sports Northwest’s Talkin’ Seahawks Podcast. “It’s not up to you, though. It’s up to the team. “It’s always good to have a good veteran defender that can help young guys.”
It’s the exact role the Eagles could benefit from, too. But Bennett forced his way out of Philadelphia in 2019 after demanding a new contract. The Eagles wouldn’t budge and the defensive end was sent packing to New England in a trade.
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