Michael Bennett will sit on the bench during the National Anthem, and he is one of the players who stood up for Colin Kaepernick when his anthem protest started. There is no fanfare about Bennett sitting on the bench, and that is because he is the second man not the first. He will keep up the protest that sheds light on social issues, but he clearly is not gaining the media attention that Kaepernick got.
Why do we not care?
We do not care about this as sports fans because Kaepernick already received all the hate for taking a knee during the national anthem.
He has been punished, and anyone who believes in the flag more than other human beings has made their voice heard. There is an assumption that Bennett will not make much of a difference because Kaepernick was effectively pulled out of the NFL for his stance. Reporters have grown tired of covering the issue, and Bennett plays in a progressive city. His stance on social justice issues will not make as much noise because he is the second in line.
Other players have sat
There are many players noting that they have sat on the bench or not stood for the national anthem in the past. They did not have an agenda, and they were not shedding light on current social justice issues. These players were not standing simply because they did not want to.
They did not do anything objectionable in the public eye because they did not challenge the notion of white supremacy in public.
Will Kaepernick play again?
It looks more and more like Colin Kaepernick will not play in the NFL again. He has been cast out for an entire season, and the Dolphins chose Jay Cutler over him when they had a major injury.
The protest that Kaepernick started is simply too strong for NFL teams who are afraid fans will stop coming to the games or consuming the product. The owners could be called cowardly, but they are businessmen at-heart.
Bennett will continue
Michael Bennett will continue to sit on the bench during the national anthem to no fanfare, and that is because he would have to be more outspoken to have his roster spot taken away.
The team he plays for needs him, and he is in a much better position to continue to play. The people who are angry about protesting the flag or disrespecting the military will run out of energy to protest players. Bennett will benefit because he is not as loud about his beliefs, and he will sit with many other players who have done so for years without any retribution.
