Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Martellus Bennett calls out former teammate Aaron Rodgers for his comments about Drew Brees and the national anthem protests.
Aaron Rodgers tried to create a stark contrast between him and Drew Brees on Wednesday, following Brees’ widely-criticized comments about Colin Kapernick’s national anthem protest.
But Martellus Bennett isn’t buying it.
The former tight end who played for the Green Bay Packers in 2017 responded to Rodgers’ comments on Twitter. “‘THEY have a battle for racial equality. That’s what THEY’RE trying to get a conversation started around.’ Doesn’t sound like an ally sounds like a spectator,” Bennett wrote.
“I don’t want to see y’all paint these dudes as white saviors that were always speaking up. It’s just not true. I was there,” Bennett said. “He saw what I went thru while protesting in Green Bay. And protesting in Wisconsin is a wild experience.”
Martellus Bennett does not hold back on Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees
Bennett didn’t hold back his comments on Brees or the NFL at large. “Tell me one white QB that truly stands for something other than their captain America images…” Bennett wrote. “Not one of them spoke up when it wasn’t easy to speak up. Now they writing statements.”
“The NFL is racist. The main reason they don’t have black coaches is because of racism not because they aren’t “qualified.” You already know how the white owners who hire the white coaches feel about black players. It’s the same way they feel about black coaches,” Bennett wrote. “The difference is they need black players to make the league work they don’t need black coaches in order for it to work.”
Rodgers tried to set himself apart from Brees. But Bennett’s comments are a good reminder that it isn’t enough to ‘talk the talk.’ White players need to take action if they want to be seen as true allies.