A Harris County (Texas) grand jury indicted NFL defensive lineman Michael Bennett on Friday on a felony charge of injury of the elderly, stemming from an incident at the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston. A warrant was issued for Bennett’s arrest, the Harris County district attorney’s office said in a release.
Bennett, who attended high school in Houston, was at the Feb. 5, 2017 Super Bowl to watch his brother, then-Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett. After New England’s win over the Atlanta Falcons, prosecutors said, Michael Bennett “shoved his way on to the field where players were gathering to celebrate.” Stadium security personnel, including a 66-year old paraplegic woman who was working to control access to the field, told Bennett he needed to use a different entrance to get onto the field, according to prosecutors.
“Instead, he pushed through them, including the elderly woman who was part of the security team,” the release said.
He was indicted on a charge of injury of the elderly, a felony charge that carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to the release.
Bennett, 32, was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this month. The Eagles said in a statement Friday afternoon that they are “aware of the situation involving Michael Bennett and are in the process of gathering more information.”
He was selected to three Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl during his five seasons in Seattle, where he also emerged as one of the NFL’s most politically outspoken stars. He was Seattle’s nominee for last season’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, with the team citing Bennett’s work fighting obesity, promoting public health, supporting education for minority communities and women of color, and working with troubled youth. He was also a prominent figure in last season’s pregame player protests.
His first book, “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable,” is scheduled to be released on April 3, with an accompanying schedule of promotional events. On April 4, Bennett is scheduled to speak at the University of the District of Columbia. The book, according to promotional materials, touches on “police violence, the role of protest in history, and his own responsibility as a role model to speak out.”
Bennett last summer accused police in Las Vegas of racial profiling and excessive force after he was detained following reports of an active shooter at a casino. The Clark County sheriff later announced that no evidence of excessive force had been found, and that officers acted “appropriately and professionally” during the incident. Bennett was not arrested or charged following the incident.
Bennett began his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009 before moving to the Seahawks in 2013.
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