According to the Harris County district attorney's statement, Bennett was in Houston to watch his brother in the Super Bowl and "immediately following the game ... shoved his way on to the field" past a 66-year-old paraplegic woman.
Former Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett has been indicted by a Harris County (Texas) grand jury for the felony charge of injury of the elderly for injuring a 66-year-old paraplegic who was working at NRG Stadium in Houston to control access to the field at the Super Bowl in February 2017, according to the county district attorney’s office.
The county district attorney’s office released a statement Friday that said a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Bennett, who was traded by the Seahawks to the Philadelphia Eagles this month, and that prosecutors are working with Bennett’s counsel regarding his surrender. Philly.com reported Friday night that one of Bennett’s attorneys, Rusty Hardin, said Bennett is out of the continental United States and will surrender when he returns.
According to the DA’s statement, Bennett — who attended high school in the Houston area — was in town for the Feb. 5, 2017 Super Bowl to watch his brother, Martellus, who played for the New England Patriots against the Atlanta Falcons.
According to the DA’s statement, “immediately following the game, Bennett shoved his way on to the field where players were gathering to celebrate. NRG Security personnel, including the 66-year-old disabled victim, told Bennett he had to use a different entrance for field access. Instead, he pushed through them, including the elderly woman who was part of the security team.”
The statement also said the charge of injury to the elderly includes intentionally and knowingly causing bodily injury to a person 65 years or older and carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
“You all must not know who I am. I could own this (place). I’m going on the field whether you like it or not,” Bennett reportedly said, as told to a reporter in Houston by police chief Art Acevedo.
In a news conference Friday, Acevedo said the case was not investigated until September because other more pressing cases took precedent and because they knew where Bennett was.
“Mr. Bennett may think that he’s above the law,” Acevedo continued. “Mr. Bennett may think he can put his hands on an elderly woman, but the Houston Police Department certainly doesn’t share that view, and we’re grateful to the grand jury and the DA for their action in this case.”
In highly charged statements, Acevedo also said of Bennett “you’re morally corrupt when you put your hands on a little old lady in a wheelchair” and said “how about treating people with dignity, but more important how about not putting your hands on a 66-year old paraplegic. I don’t know about you, but it angers me a little bit.”
Acevedo identified the woman as black. He said she still holds her job and said he could not detail her injuries but added that “she had to get medical treatment, and she had to be prescribed medication and other things she had to deal with.”
Acevedo said there is no video of the incident but added that it was witnessed by a police officer and that Bennett pushed through two others as well as the 66-year-old woman on his way to the field.
Acevedo also said Bennett would get his day in court to state his case but added, “I’m very confident that when a jury sees this they are not going to be too happy.”
The Seahawks said they were not aware of the investigation until hearing of the indictment Friday.
The Eagles released a statement: “We are aware of the situation involving Michael Bennett and are in the process of gathering more information. Because this is an ongoing legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time.”
Bennett was traded to the Eagles with a 2018 seventh-round draft pick for receiver Marcus Johnson and a 2018 fifth-round pick.
Bennett played for Seattle from 2013-17 and was briefly on the roster in 2009 before being waived and signed by Tampa Bay. He was with the Bucs from 2009-12 before returning to Seattle in 2013 as a free agent and playing a starring role on the defensive line as the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII and then returned to the Super Bowl the next season.
Bennett was named as the Seahawks’ Man of the Year in 2017 for his work in the community. He also gained attention for sitting during the national anthem for all but two games in 2017 as well as alleging that the Las Vegas police used excessive force and racial profiling when he was detained for questioning as police responded to a report of an alleged active shooter at a casino in August.
WATCH | Houston PD news conference
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