On Wednesday, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett posted a statement to Twitter that detailed Las Vegas police threatening him and pinning him to the ground.
The N.F.L. player tweeted that he felt “terrified” and “helpless” during the incident, which he says transpired early in the morning after the Mayweather-McGregor fight on August 27.
According to Bennett, he heard what seemed to be gunshots in a crowded area and ran for cover. He claims the police singled him out and pointed guns at him “for doing nothing more than simply being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time.” The police allegedly forced him to lie on the ground, threatening to "blow [his] fucking head off" if he moved.
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Police officer Jacinto Rivera told The Associated Press that Las Vegas police are checking for records of the incident, but cannot verify Bennett’s report at this time, according to ESPN.
TMZ posted a video of the incident which shows Bennett on the ground, being handcuffed by an officer.
In it, Bennett calls out, “I wasn’t doing nothing, man.”
Bennett says he was placed in a police car before officers confirmed his identity, later releasing him upon realizing he was not a “thug, common criminal or ordinary black man, but Michael Bennett, a famous professional football player.”
He claims this was done "without any legitimate justification for the Officers’ abusive conduct."
Notable figures including former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Bennett’s brother, Martellus Bennett, and Seahawks center Justin Britt took to social media to express their anger over the “disgusting” and “unjust” incident.
