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Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks’ Michael Bennett wants to meet with President Trump to discuss issues

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, center, was joined by teammates Thomas Rawls, left, and Justin Britt when he sat during the singing of the national anthem before Seattle’s game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 17 in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson / AP)
By Sean Quinton Seattle Times

SEATTLE – The Seahawks continue to find themselves at the epicenter of the national debate regarding player protests during the national anthem before NFL games.

After deciding as a team to stay in the locker room Sunday at Tennessee, defensive lineman Michael Bennett went on CNN on Monday to say he’d like to meet with President Donald Trump regarding the messaging behind their protests.

“I would love to sit down with the president and talk about these issues and be able to find a way to fix them, or be able to find a way to have the voice of the people, the people that don’t have the voice that they’re not listening to,” Bennett told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

“I can’t sit here and say that he’s not my president, he’s not that, because at the end of the day he is the President of the United States, and for him to say it’s a privilege and we shouldn’t speak on what we believe in because we’re making money, I mean he was a rich man, too, and all of a sudden he’s speaking on what he believes in, and he still stood up for what he believes in and he’s the President of the United States, so what makes him different from us?”

Bennett was one of a handful of players to protest during the anthem before Trump’s comments Friday during a rally in Alabama. Trump said NFL owners should fire players who protest. Following those comments, more than 200 NFL players knelt during the anthem Sunday.

Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin also appeared on CNN on Monday to discuss the Seahawks’ decision.

“I’m a firm believer that you have to stand or sit for what you believe,” he said on CNN. “That’s what makes our country great.

“If you see the flag, and you see oppression when you look at the flag, then stand up. Do something about it. … I think what we’re misinterpreting is the people taking a knee, that feel the need to protest, that’s exactly what they’re doing. They are being courageous – they are putting themselves out there and being vulnerable.”