NFL Will Not Investigate Michael Bennett Incident After Las Vegas Police Union Request
The president of Las Vegas’s police union sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday asking the league to “conduct an investigation, and take appropriate action, into Michael Bennett’s obvious false allegations against our officers.”
On Thursday, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, "There is no allegation of a violation of the league's personal conduct policy and therefore there is no basis for an NFL investigation."
On Wednesday, Bennett accused officers of using excessive force while detaining him last month amid reports of an active shooter. (There was no shooter; the noise casino patrons heard that sparked the panic was the sound of marble statues hitting the floor.) He also alleged that he was singled out by police because he is black. One officer pointed a gun at Bennett’s head and threatened to “blow [his] f---ing head off,” he said.
In his letter, union president Steve Grammas says race played no role in Bennett’s detainment and called his statement on the matter “false and defamatory.” The letter also contains an unrelated shot at “Bennett’s disrespect for our American flag, and everything it symbolizes.”
Michael Bennett Sr. Speaks Out After His Son's Detainment: "This Is Why You're Kneeling"
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press conference Wednesday that Bennett had taken cover behind a gaming machine and was apprehended after running away from officers who were conducting a second sweep of the area. The department is conducting an investigation into the incident.
