Martellus Bennett held nothing back in a candid Twitter thread he posted late Tuesday evening discussing his time in the NFL and the league’s racial dynamics.
Motivated by Drew Brees’ comments on Kapernick’s protest, Bennett started the lengthy Twitter thread by admitting that he wasn’t surprised that the Saints quarterback said “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”
“Damn y’all thought Drew would say something different than what he did?,” Bennett tweeted and then added three laughing face emojis.
From there, Bennett pulled back the curtain on the real racial dynamics in the NFL, talking frankly about the true allyship of white NFL quarterbacks to the complicity of the NFL media in shaping the narratives around black players.
Right now, a lot of white athletes who have been previously silent on issues of race or have hedged their words around Kaepernick taking a knee have issued vague, PR friendly statements. Bennett calls them out for what they are–too little, too late.
He also called out Broncos head coach Vic Fangio who said racism doesn’t exist in the NFL.
He minced no words in his thoughts on the overall state of the league, declaring plainly, “The NFL is racist.”
Bennett also held Brees accountable for his comments on Kaepernick, pointing out exactly why Brees’ kind of thinking perpetuates racism.
The anger in Bennett’s thread is palpable and that’s what it makes it such a bracing read. It’s clear Bennett has no patience left nor desire to try to smooth over his thoughts about his time int he league, nor should he. The death of George Floyd has galvanized many, but others like Brees still stubbornly cling to their old ways of thinking.
Now is the time for frank discussion on race that hold white athletes and coaches accountable. Bennett is among those making sure these conversations happen.
You can read his full comments here.
