Martellus Bennett comes down hard on domestic violence
Former New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett recently opened up about his zero-tolerance attitude towards domestic violence in the NFL.
Martellus Bennett has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind, even if it’s regarding taboo or controversial subject matter. And at a time when the NFL continues to find itself embroiled with negative press and publicity over players involved with domestic violence, assault, and abuse, Bennett spoke out about the subject before a large audience.
“Guys should be punished,” Bennett said at the Athletes + Activism event. “If you hit a woman, you should not be playing football.”
There have been numerous cases of domestic violence within the NFL fraternity, the most notable of which occurred with Browns running back Kareem Hunt and former players Greg Hardy and Ray Rice. All were given lighter punishments that sparked outrage among thousands of fans, and Bennett made it clear that he sympathizes with their frustration at the lack of severe, punitive action taken by the league.
"“Watching the video of Ray Rice, I wanted to choke the (expletive) out of Ray Rice. I wanted to punch him in the face. When I see those guys — if they’re on my team, I have issues with those guys. Like I’m going to tackle you every single day. Right? Hit me. I’m serious. This makes me angry. This pisses me off when I see these things going on.”"
He said the matter is just as revolting and upsetting when it concerns children instead of women. Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill is currently under investigation for his role in physical abuse suffered by his own son, and Redskins running back Adrian Peterson has also previously faced criticism for disciplining his son with a switch and injuring the boy in the process.
“I don’t think there’s any excuse for child abuse. As a father — I don’t whip my daughter, I just look at her like this,” Bennett elaborated. “Because my hands are so big. My feet are big, my body’s big, I’m ridiculously strong. Hitting a child, to me at this position, is just ridiculous.”
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It remains to be seen what disciplinary action, if any, the NFL will take with Hill this season.