Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett claimed, through a social media post, that he was racially profiled and the victim of excessive force by officers from the Las Vegas Police Department following the boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor on Aug. 26.
Bennett said he has hired Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris to explore "all legal options."
Bennett tweeted a letter on Wednesday describing the alleged incident alongside the word, "equality."
USA TODAY Sports has reached out to the Las Vegas Police Department for comment.
Bennett claimed that after the fight, he was returning to his hotel when he heard what sounded like gunshots, so he joined others in running for cover.
Bennett wrote: "A police officer ordered me to get on the ground. As I laid on the ground, complying with his demands to not move, he placed his gun near my head and warned me that if I moved he would blow my (expletive) head off. Terrified and confused by what was taking place, a second officer came over and forcefully jammed his knee into my back, making it difficult for me to breathe. They then clinched the handcuffs on my wrist so tight that my fingers went numb.
"The officers' excessive use of force was unbearable. I felt helpless as I lay there on the ground handcuffed facing the real life threat of being killed."
Note: Bennett's tweet contains explicit language:
Equality. pic.twitter.com/NQ4pJt94AZ
— Michael Bennett (@mosesbread72) September 6, 2017
Bennett, following the lead of Colin Kaepernick's 2016 protest, has been sitting during the national anthem this season to spotlight racial injustice. He said that after the Las Vegas police officers confirmed his identity, he was let go without an explanation. "I sit during the national anthem because equality doesn't live in this country, and no matter how much money you make, what job title you have, or how much you live, when you are (targeted by the color of your skin), you will be treated that way," Bennett wrote.
