Michael Bennett Indicted

If you believe the offseason hasn’t officially begun until there is some bizarre drama, the offseason has officially begun for you.

Newly acquired DL Michael Bennett was indicted in Texas for an incident that happened after Super Bowl LI…as in more than a year ago. Bennett was there to watch his brother Martellus play for the Patriots (in the crazy comeback over the Falcons). We’ll let Houston police explain what happened.

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.”

That’s a bizarre description. Bennett opened locked doors. How did that happen exactly? He pushed past security, one of which was an elderly paraplegic woman. I’ve never heard of stadium security quite like that, especially for one of the craziest events in the world.

Then we have a police officer witnessing the event, but doing nothing about it because he was busy checking on a person’s health. I guess the other security on the scene couldn’t have done that. The police chief said the officer on the scene did not deem Bennett a threat to anyone once he got past security so he did not try to arrest him.

Now, 13 months later, we have Bennett indicted by a grand jury. The Houston police said the case was put on the back burner while other more serious matters were dealt with. I guess things have been quiet in the Houston crime world recently so they found time to work through last year’s cases.

Bizarre, just bizarre.

If Bennett really did something dangerous and illegal, then he should be arrested and he should face the consequences. This just seems odd. The police chief said Bennett is “morally bankrupt” for putting his hands on a 66-year old lady in a wheelchair. I’m just finding it hard to believe Bennett actually did that. I could see him pushing someone and then that person making accidental contact with the lady, but Bennett specifically targeting an elderly woman in wheelchair and pushing her? I just find that hard to believe.

We’ll have to wait and see how this all plays out. Bennett is hiring an attorney (or law firm) to handle the matter. He will take this seriously.

According to a league source the Seahawks and the Eagles were not aware of this MIchael Bennett incident.

— Derrick Gunn (@RealDGunnNBCS) March 23, 2018

You can bet the Eagles were not pleased about this development. The team won big on the field last year, but also stayed out of trouble off the field. If anything, the Eagles were a team you could be proud of. Not only were athletes speaking up, but they took actions to put meaning behind their opinions. They genuinely seemed to care about making a difference.

This could lead to a suspension, but I think the NFL has to let this play out because the salacious headline and the facts don’t match.

BENNETT INJURED ELDERLY PARAPLEGIC WOMAN

That reads a whole lot different than Bennett pushed his way past security to get on the field to see his brother.

No matter how this plays out, this is not a headache that Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman or Doug Pederson wanted to deal with. So much for the drama-free offseason.

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