A Harris County grand jury indicted Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett on a federal charge of injury of the elderly at the 2017 Super Bowl that took place at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
Bennett allegedly forced his way through security to get on the field to celebrate with his brother and the New England Patriots. He allegedly injured a 66-year-old paraplegic woman on the security team.
From The Houston Chronicle:
Photos from the day show Michael Bennett with a Super Bowl credential around his neck before the game. He also was on the field during the Patriots’ pregame warmups. In a video of an interview he did on the field postgame, it does not appear that Michael Bennett has a credential around his neck.Houston police Chief Art Acevedo said Bennett, after the Patriots’ win, “forcibly opened locked doors” in the tunnels of the stadium, then ignored security and pushed several security personnel to get to the field. Acevedo also said Bennett told security, “Y’all must know who I am, and I can own this (expletive). I’m going on the field whether you like it or not.”Acevedo said there is no video of the incident, but that it was witnessed by a police officer, who checked on the health of the security personnel instead of attempting to detain Michael Bennett on the spot.The 66-year-old woman sought medical treatment and was diagnosed with a strained back.
Bennett could receive up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
During a press conference, Acevedo described Bennett as “morally bankrupt” and found it “pathetic” that someone would put their “hands on a 66-year-old paraplegic and just act like they don’t exist and treat them this way.”
Bennett turned himself in and appeared before a judge on Monday. He received a $10,000 bond and can travel between his home in Hawaii and Houston for his court appearances.
Last September, Bennett accused Las Vegas officers of racially profiling and excessive force after the Mayweather-Mcgregor fight in August. The police answered a call of a possible shooter around Drai’s nightclub in the Cromwell casino:
After clearing the casino, a team of officer’s started heading toward Drai’s nightclub, and while they were on the way there, they located Bennett.“As they moved toward the nightclub, an individual later identified as Bennett was seen crouched down behind a gaming machine as the officers approached,” McMahill sald. “Once Bennett was in the officer’s view, he quickly ran out the south doors, jumped over a wall onto Flamingo Road East of Las Vegas Boulevard into traffic.”According to McMahill, the officers viewed Bennett’s actions as suspicious, which is why he was handcuffed.“Due to Bennett’s actions, and the information the officer’s had at the time, they believed that Bennett may have been involved in the shooting and they gave chase,” McMahill said. “Bennett was placed in handcuffs and detained while officers determined whether or not he was involved in the incident.”
Bennett claimed that the police singled him out and one even threatened to “blow his head off.” The NFL backed Bennett’s story, but the Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) has strongly come out and denied all of Bennett’s claim. The two arresting officers are Hispanic males.
Undersheriff of the LVMPD even said that at the scene Bennett told the officers he understood what happened after the officers explained the situation.
A few weeks later, Fuzzy blogged about how additional body cam footage and security camera footage showed that the officers did not racially profile him.
In February 2017, Bennett boycotted a trip to Israel and voiced his support for the BDS movement. He changed his mind about the trip after reading an Israeli paper “where a Israel’s Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy Minister Gilad Erdan was quoted as saying: ‘The ministry which I lead is spearheading an intensive fight against the delegitimization and BDS campaigns against Israel, and part of this struggle includes hosting influencers and opinion-formers of international standing in different fields, including sport.'”
Bennett claimed he would not be “used” that way.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills tweeted that he agreed with Bennett and said that was in with him. Another player didn’t go due to his pregnant wife.
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