Seahawks DE Michael Bennett: White player needs to join anthem protest

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett says a white NFL player needs to join anthem protest.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett says that a white NFL player needs to step up and join the national anthem protest for the conversation of racial injustice to move forward.

No white NFL player has chosen to participate in the protests after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and other black players have either sat, knelt or raised their fists during the playing of the anthem to call attention to police brutality and racial inequality.

"You need a white guy to join the fight," Bennett said to the Seattle Times. "The white guy is super important to the fight. For people to really see social injustices, there must be someone from the other side of the race who recognizes the problem, because a lot of times if just one race says there’s a problem, nobody is realistic about it."

"If somebody like, say, (Green Bay Packers quarterback) Aaron Rodgers got behind us, I think it would touch home for a lot more people,” Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril added.

Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka said he thinks white people are just uncomfortable talking about the subject.

“I don’t want to speak for all white people, but I know for myself, I’m uncomfortable about the subject," Hauschka said. "There’s a lot of racial tension that goes way back, and I don’t know what it’s like to be black in this country. I don’t know how any white person could.”

The Seahawks take on Kaepernick and the 49ers on Sunday.

– Scooby Axson