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Michael Bennett’s book debuts Wednesday amidst legal trouble

Michael Bennett's controversial book 'Things That Make White People Uncomfortable' drops Wednesday.
The cover of 'Things That Make White People Feel Uncomfortable' by Michael Bennett and Dave Zirin. (Photo: Courtesy)

The newly acquired Philadelphia Eagle Michael Bennett will release his new book, Things That Make White People Uncomfortable, Wednesday.

The release of the book comes at an interesting time as Bennett was just indicted on a felony charge for injury of the elderly. The arrest came after Bennett allegedly injured a 66-year-old paraplegic who was working security at the 2017 Super Bowl in his hometown of Houston.

Dave Zirin, the co-author of Bennett’s book, said on Twitter, “This is such an utter sham, an attack on an outspoken political athlete curiously timed 14 months later with his signing with a new team and release of a book.”

Bennett postponed his national book tour after the indictment. The publisher Haymarket books released a statement that said in part “Michael Bennett is being targeted for being a Black man who speaks out boldly against racism and police brutality.”

In an interview last month Zirin said the book documents Bennett’s evolution to an “icon of outspoken resistance.”

"It’s wild for me to even think about because I feel like I’ve been living inside Michael’s brain for the last year and a half, which is a pretty wild place to take up residence," Zirin joked.

“I think people can expect the Michael Bennett they know and the Michael Bennett they don’t know,” Zirin said. “The hope above all hopes is that somebody will read it who says, 'You know what, I don’t like this guy, but this looks interesting,' and then they’ll read it and they’ll say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know this guy at all and now I do,' and they are richer for the experience.”

“Not only was it a book about this wild year of 2017 and us living through it in real time, but to me it is also a book about Michael’s evolution throughout that year and how he changed from being just an outspoken football player to being kind of this icon of outspoken resistance who just happened to be an NFL player,” Zirin said.

“Michael Bennett is somebody who has transcended football on a lot of these issues on social justice, but in this book Michael really wanted to speak not just about politics, but also about his passion for food justice, his passion for the city of Seattle, and his passion for building and rebuilding his family, which is a very complicated and very beautiful family that he comes from. It really is a remarkable story,” Zirin added. “The Bennetts are a unique bunch to put it mildly and this book reflects all of Michael’s incredibly eclectic, incredibly interesting personality and I was just really proud that he took me along for the ride.”

Zirin said it was a special experience getting to know the Seahawks defensive end.

“Honest and true he’s one of the best people I’ve ever had the occasion to meet,” he said.

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