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Seattle Seahawks

Matt Calkins: Seahawks’ Michael Bennett does great things, but why the immaturity?

Seattle Seahawks’ Michael Bennett (72) brings down Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff in the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)
By Matt Calkins Seattle Times

Sometimes I really like Michael Bennett. It’s kind of hard not to, really.

The Seahawks defensive end is as passionate and colorful and dynamic as they come.

Looking for a quote? Hit Bennett up. You’ll be retweeted before he finishes his sentence.

On his beard: “I really want to look like the richest homeless person I’ve ever seen.”

On his sack dance: “Two angels dancing while chocolate is coming from the heavens on a Sunday morning.”

On his preparation: “Doing exactly the same exact thing we always do – not having sex on Wednesdays, watching ‘Homeland,’ just chilling.”

Looking for a stance? No. 72 is your man for that, too. He is as direct and as fearless as they come.

Bennett made waves this offseason for refusing to go to Israel because he thought the prime minister was using NFL players for political gain. He sported a Black Lives Matter shirt on the first day of training camp last year and spoke out on social issues throughout the season.

It’s not just talk, either. Bennett gives back as well as he gives his thoughts. Every penny of his endorsement money this year is going to charity, as is half the cash he makes from his jersey sales. The goal is to inspire more athletes to make similar pledges to the community, and my guess is it’s working.

Looking for a big play? Bennett delivers those, too. The two-time Pro Bowler has developed into one of the most disruptive defensive players in the NFL.

In 59 games with the Seahawks, he has amassed 301/2 sacks. His 19 tackles for a loss in 2015 – when he last played a full season – were the fourth-most in the league. And he did much of that playing through a toe injury he classified as a 10 out of 10 on the pain scale.

No surprise there. The man comes to play. Even when he was clearly disgruntled with his contract, he never missed a day of training camp.

So props there. Props for everything above. It’s just that. I still can’t get some images out of my head.

I was 10 feet away from Bennett after that playoff loss to the Falcons when he ripped into a reporter for asking a fair question about the pass rush. He called him a “non-playing (expletive)” and asked what kind of adversity he’d been through, implying that there was no way it could be on par with an NFL player.

Well, that reporter survived cancer, which Bennett obviously didn’t know. But the fact that he never apologized or even acknowledged it reeks of immaturity.

This was the same Bennett who, earlier that day, blasted through Falcons offensive linemen while they were in victory formation. It’s the same Bennett who cracks at least one sex joke per interview, consistently tries to demean the media, and who is now in a war of words with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

Earlier this week, the “First Take” pundit criticized Bennett for publicly supporting Colin Kaepernick, who Smith noted didn’t vote in the election. Bennett fired back by calling Smith a “clown” who is “all talk and no action” when it comes to giving back – then suggested that he needs to become a better person.

Hey, Bennett had every right to defend himself against a guy who, yeah, does play the clown sometimes. But to suggest that Smith doesn’t do anything to help the community speaks to the same presumptuousness Bennett showed when chastising the cancer-surviving reporter.

None of this would really matter if all Bennett wanted to be was a football player. Professional sports is all about entertainment, and there’s no doubt the man can entertain.

But Bennett has shown that he wants to be more than just an athlete. He wants to implement real change and be an example for kids and other athletes.

Bennett’s foundation is dedicated to fighting child obesity. The endorsement money he’s donating will go toward Science Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) programs in minority communities.

His aspirations are incredibly noble. But sometimes his behavior is incredibly childish.

Bennett has to make a choice on who he really wants to be. He clearly knows the power of his platform, but I’m not sure he is taking full advantage of it.

I love the man’s message. It’s just that, sometimes, I wonder about the messenger.