Seahawks' Bennett: Anthem protests 'need a white guy'

While more and more NFLers have joined Colin Kaepernick's protest of social injustice in America, there has yet to be a white player involved.

Michael Bennett thinks that needs to change, to make any real difference.

"You need a white guy to join the fight. The white guy is super important to the fight," the Seattle Seahawks defensive end said, according to Matt Calkins of the Seattle Times. "For people to really see social injustices, there must be someone from the other side of the race who recognizes the problem, because a lot of times if just one race says there’s a problem, nobody is realistic about it."

The Seahawks have been among the leaders in the protest, but have shown frustration with the lack of progress. Cornerback Richard Sherman refused questions at his Wednesday media availability in order to make a statement, inspired by a pair of recent police shootings.

Defensive end Cliff Avril agrees that a white player - particularly a high-profile one - would go a long way toward supporting the fight.

"If somebody like, say, Aaron Rodgers got behind us, I think it would touch home for a lot more people," said Avril. "At the same time, I see why they probably wouldn’t, because they don’t know what we’re going through. That’s one of those situations where it’s unfortunate."

The Seahawks have chosen to lock arms as a team during the anthem, to signify their unity between all members.

Kicker Steven Hauschka is one of 12 white players on Seattle's active roster. He says that stories from black teammates have opened his eyes to issues in the African-American community, but that he still finds it difficult to make an impact.

"I think a lot of white people are uncomfortable talking about it," Hauschka said. "I don’t want to speak for all white people, but I know for myself, I’m uncomfortable about the subject. There’s a lot of racial tension that goes way back, and I don’t know what it’s like to be black in this country. I don’t know how any white person could."

While no white NFLer has joined the cause to date, U.S. women's soccer player Megan Rapinoe is one white athlete who's taken action, kneeling before club and international matches over the past month.

The Seahawks play Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers in Seattle on Sunday.