Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Michael Bennett wore a red hat that had “Immigrants Made America Great,” inscribed on the front. Taking a shot at President Trump’s signature slogan: “Make America Great Again.”
Bennett wore the hat after practice on Wednesday.
The Trump White House has been active in an ongoing legal battle over families and adults who have been separated from their children, or children they’ve been traveling with, while attempting to illegally cross the southern border.
For Bennett’s part, he has been active in anthem protests and in making unfounded accusations against law enforcement. Most notably, Bennett made unsubstantiated charges against the Las Vegas Police Department in August of 2017, claiming that he had been handcuffed and threatened by officers for “no other reason than I am black and my skin color is somehow a threat.” Bennett also claimed that the officers told him to lie on the ground, otherwise they were going to “blow [his] f*cking head off.”
In reality, Bennett caught the attention of officers because he behaved in an extremely suspicious manner while police investigated what they believed to be an active shooter situation. He was cuffed because he ran from the officers, and at no point did Bennett’s attorney — or the video police released of the incident — show an officer threatening to blow Bennett’s head off.
The NFL and NFL Players Association continue to work towards a compromise agreement on a new anthem policy.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn