Michael Bennett addressed the NFL’s concussion crisis on the public broadcast interview show Democracy Now! Tuesday. Among other things, Bennett said he believes part of the difficulty with reforming football to make the games safer for athletes is the way fans fail to see players as human: “If the fans start to feel the human aspect of each player then the NFL has no choice, because the fans are going to be bringing up these questions. It’s just like any other thing—the players are fighting for one thing, the fans are fighting for something else.”
Bennett also said professional football players are in a unique position to advocate for safety even in other levels of the sport because children and college athletes are often unable to challenge their authorities for fear of losing their place on a team or scholarships.