NFL star Michael Bennett, one of the league’s most visible national-anthem protesters, had a warrant issued Friday for his arrest after he was indicted on a felony count of injuring an elderly disabled woman at Super Bowl LI.
The Pro Bowl defensive end, who signed last week with the Philadelphia Eagles, was accused of hurting a 66-year-old paraplegic working security as he tried to shove his way onto the field last year following the New England Patriots’ overtime victory at NRG Stadium in Houston.
After a grand jury in Harris County, Texas, handed down the indictment, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said prosecutors “are working with Bennett’s counsel regarding his surrender.”
Bennett, 32, drew notice during the 2017 regular season for leading a group of seven to nine Seattle Seahawks players who sat each week on the sidelines during the national anthem as a protest against social injustice and racism.
He had attended the NFL championship on Feb. 5, 2017, to watch his brother, Patriots player Martellus Bennett, and was told by security staff after the game that he had to use a different entrance to gain access to the field for the celebration.
“Instead, he pushed through them, including the elderly woman who was part of the security team,” said the district attorney’s statement.
The charge of “intentionally and knowingly” causing “bodily injury to a person 65 years or older” carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The Eagles issued a statement Friday saying the team was “aware of the situation” but had no comment.
Bennett, who was voted last season to his third consecutive Pro Bowl, was a 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for his involvement in causes benefiting minority communities, children and women.
He is scheduled to release a book April 3, written with Dave Zirin, titled “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable” (Haymarket Books).
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