Dallas Cowboys defensive end Michael Bennett has been on the sidelines standing during the national anthem the last couple of weeks. And while it was reported that the Cowboys and Bennett had an agreement about the anthem, that’s not the case according to the Pro Bowl defensive end. Bennett recently said he did not have talks about the national anthem with owner Jerry Jones when he was traded and the reason he started standing was for his teammates.
“I feel like it’s not my job to make somebody else believe what I’m already doing,” Bennett said. “Like if they don’t believe it, what can I tell them?”
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He may not have done it for the higher-ups of the Cowboys organization, but it’s not a surprise that Bennett is standing. When he was acquired, head coach Jason Garrett said he expected Bennett to be with the rest of the team during the anthem. He told reporters, “We don’t anticipate that being an issue,” Garrett said. “We’re excited to have him here. … We anticipate him doing what all of our players do.”
At the start of the season, Bennett was a member of the New England Patriots and he was in the locker room during the signing of the Star-Spangled Banner. He did the same thing in 2017 as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles but there have been times he would stand to show support for the military.
As for what he’s done on the field with the Cowboys, Bennett has recorded five tackles, one sack and six quarterback hits in two games. Jones has been impressed with what he’s seen from Bennett.
“I thought he was outstanding,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the game against the New York Giants in Week Nine. “I thought he was really impactful in there. I thought you could see the team in general were feeding off of what he was bringing. Of course, very likely he was feeding off what [DeMarcus Lawrence] was doing out there and what [Robert Quinn] was doing. Still, he really is a great addition for us. I don’t use that word much, but he’s a great addition.”
Bennett has been in the league since 2009 and has played in 149 games. In his career, Bennett has registered 66.5 sacks and one defensive touchdown.
