Martellus Bennett is the best soundbite on the Chicago Bears, and one of the best soundbites in the NFL. He’s probably the best Bears soundbite in a generation, maybe since Jim McMahon. Here, he opines more on Michael Sam coming out and what his announcement means to the NFL
Would Michael Sam be welcomed in the Chicago Bears locker room? How will Sam’s announcement affect his draft stock? What does the Orange Dino think?
“For me it’s not about even being okay with it, everybody should be okay with it,” Martellus Bennett said at Comcast SportsNet Sports Awards, where he was the recipient of the “Bear of the Year” Award.
“It’s just what he does. Sexuality has nothing to do with him being good at football player or my emotions toward a person. For me, I’m open to anything. It doesn’t bother me, if I have to block him, can he get past me to get to the quarterback? If he can beat me to get to the quarterback then we need him on the team. Now if he can’t get past me to get to the quarterback, we don’t need him.”
Awesome photo of Faurot Field this morning. #Sam #OneMizzou via Virgil Jeffery pic.twitter.com/roJ5kfH3Ia
— Zach Paul (@WeatherZach) February 10, 2014
Is the NFL ready for Michael Sam?
“I’m waiting for the day where it’s not a two day news story. Whatever you do with your life it always comes down to football, we’re talking about football right now. Can he sack the quarterback? Can he cause turnovers? I’m looking at what he does on the field, I’m not looking at what he does off the field. If you can play, come play with us.”
More with Martellus Bennett later today, emphasizing the recruiting of his brother in Seattle.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An MBA and Fulbright scholar, he’s also a frequent analyst on news talk radio; with regular segments on ESPN,NBC, CBS and Fox. A former NBC Chicago and Washington Times writer, he’s also been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)