Michael Bennett indicted from Super Bowl LI incident
By John Buhler
This one is strange. Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett has been indicted for an incident involving a paraplegic at Super Bowl LI in Houston.
You can’t make this up. It’s too strange to be fiction, but here we go. It involves the NFL’s Bennett Brothers, Martellus and Michael. So during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston, Michael Bennett got into an altercation with a paraplegic working the event. Yes, you heard that right? Who does that?
This incident occurred when Bennett was going to watch his younger brother Marcellus Bennett, then a tight end for the New England Patriots, play the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. This was the Super Bowl where the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to eventually lose in overtime to New England. Both brothers are Houston natives. The elder Bennett brother is now being indicted for the incident.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the “District Attorney of Harris County, Texas announced it has indicted Eagles’ DE Michael Bennett for felony charge for injuring a 66-year-old paraplegic working at NRG Stadium to control access to field at SuperBowl LI. A warrant has been issued for Bennett’s arrest.”
At the time, Bennett was playing for the Seattle Seahawks and in the prime of his NFL career. This offseason, Bennett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles along with a seventh-round pick for wide receiver Marcus Johnson and the Eagles’ seventh-round pick. This deal became official on the first day of the league year back on March 14.
Will this incident impact his role with the Eagles? Probably not right away, as he will surely have his day in court. But who injures “a 66-year-old paraplegic” on the job? It’s just a bad look for Bennett. This is the same Bennett that once claimed a Las Vegas police officer used excessive force on him over the summer. That didn’t prove to be true.
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Surely, this altercation stemming from Super Bowl LI will need to be fully vetted by the court system or by settlement. Either way, this could impact Bennett with the Eagles long term. Maybe the Seahawks weren’t wrong moving off from him this offseason? There always seems to be drama surrounding the Brothers Bennett. Definitely keep an eye on this one to see what other developments come from this. This is now the Eagles’ problem and no longer the Seahawks’.