Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett, frustrated during the game at Atlanta offensive linemen for what he appeared to think were dirty plays, exploded at a reporter after the Seahawks’ 36-20 loss to the Falcons.
ATLANTA — Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett, frustrated during the game at Atlanta offensive linemen, exploded at a reporter after the Seahawks’ 36-20 loss to the Falcons.
Bennett became upset when Bill Wixey of Q13 asked Bennett about not getting a pass rush against Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. After Bennett said that “Matt Ryan is obviously the MVP of the NFL this year and made great plays,” a reporter said to Bennett, “You weren’t able to get as much pressure on him as you were…”
“We got a lot of pressure,” Bennett said. “He threw the ball really fast. There was some busted stuff going on so obviously you don’t know football. He threw the ball pretty fast. He did his thing. We rushed as good as we could. Don’t point and say we didn’t do what we needed to do, OK? Don’t do that.
“Get out of my face now. Don’t tell me I didn’t do my job (expletive). OK, exactly. Get the (expletive) out of my face. Like I said, get out of my face. Don’t play with me. Don’t play with me. I just put my heart on the (expletive) field. Don’t (expletive) play with me. Get the (expletive) out of my face then. Try me again, see what happens. I ain’t one of these (expletive) out here. Don’t try to tell me what I didn’t do (expletive).”
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During the tirade, Bennett also asked Wixey, “what adversity you went through?” Wixey was treated for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2009.
The Seahawks sacked Ryan three times, including once by Bennett.
Bennett left the game briefly in the third quarter when he engaged with Atlanta left tackle Jake Matthews. It was Matthews who had delivered a cut block to Bennett during Seattle’s 26-24 win over Atlanta on Oct. 16 that ended up with Bennett suffering a knee injury that required surgery and held him out for five games.
Bennett angrily pointed toward Matthews several times, and at the end of the game also appeared to get into some pushing and shoving with Atlanta’s line.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Bennett “got tackled or something, he thought. And he got nicked a little bit. But he was fine.”