Seahawks' Bennett urges NFL players to speak out on social issues

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett wants the NFL's best players to be vocal about social issues including racism and police brutality.

Bennett, who was wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt during the press conference Saturday, noted that many NBA and WNBA stars speak out against social injustices, whereas it's rare in the NFL.

"If you want to be a great influencer ... you can't really let the marketing dollars control you because brands control everything," Bennett told reporters Saturday. "I think the women in the WNBA have really stood up for what they want. Most of the players in the NFL are black, 90-80 percent of them. But the NFL is broken; you don't see a lot of great players talking about things socially."

Recently, numerous WNBA teams have worn Black Lives Matter T-shirts protesting the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Both black men were killed by police officers.

Bennett said white NFL quarterbacks aren't compelled to speak on racial and social injustices because they don't have the same experiences as black players.

"Whether it's Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers - all these guys are white. They don't have to deal with the same things we deal with as black players. It's not as many. In the NBA ... the greatest players are at the forefront of the movement," Bennett said.

"Here in the NFL, the greatest players aren't in the forefront of the movement. Whether it's the CBA, whether it's things going on with changing concussions - the greatest players aren't involved like LeBron James or Chris Paul. Our great players are sitting back taking the dollars, whether it's Cam Newton, all these guys, they're just not at the forefront of trying to change what's going on. As a great player, you have to remember that there was people who came before you."

Bennett, one of the most politically active players in the league, previously expressed his support for Democratic senator Bernie Sanders.