Houston Police Department Chief Art Acevedo held a weird press conference this afternoon to address Michael Bennett’s indictment on felony assault charges and explain the case against him. Acevedo called Bennett “morally corrupt,” “morally bankrupt,” and said, “I think it’s pretty pathetic that you’d put your hands on a 66-year-old paraplegic and treat them like they don’t exist.”
According to Acevedo, Bennett “forcibly opened locked doors” on his way to the field at Super Bowl 51 before pushing past two stadium workers and injuring the 66-year-old paraplegic woman. She apparently suffered a sprained shoulder, and according to Acevedo, when a police officer confronted Bennett, he told them “Fuck you,” and “You all must know who I am, and I could own this motherfucker. I’m going on the field whether you like it or not.” The officer then walked away from Bennett.
Houston PD started investigating Sept. 27, and they did not review any video of the incident (which apparently exists), so the case is all based on the recollection of the officer. Acevedo recommended that Bennett turn himself in, and claimed that the case took over a year because they had to prioritize other investigations. The Eagles released a short statement on the matter.
Acevedo had harsh words for Bennett throughout the press conference, repeatedly invoking the incident in question to make points about Bennett’s supposedly shaky morals. Bennett, who has a book coming out next week, has been one of the most outspoken NFL players on the issue of police officer shooting and killing unarmed black people, and last fall, Bennett said Las Vegas PD officers handcuffed him and threatened to “blow [his] fucking head off” after mistakenly identifying him as a possible shooter.