By Bob Condotta
The Seattle Times
A lawyer for Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett Friday called for an independent investigation into how Las Vegas police handled an incident with Bennett on Aug. 27.
The request by John Burris, an Oakland-based attorney, comes a day after the union for the Las Vegas police asked the NFL to investigate Bennett saying his claims that he was singled out because he is black and that he was mistreated while police determined if he was a suspect in a reported active shooter situation were not accurate.
Bennett said Wednesday that he had been held at gunpoint during the incident at Drai’s nightclub at the Cromwell Casino on the morning of Aug. 27. Bennett was in town for the Conor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather fight.
Burris wrote Friday: “Given the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and its union’s prejudgment of both Mr. Bennett and Mr. Bennett’s treatment at the hands of LVMPD police, attorney John Burris calls for an independent agency to investigate the incident. Additionally, Mr. Bennett requests any and all contemporaneously prepared 911 calls and incident reports e.g. reports made at or near the time of the incident and not reports prepared in order to retrofit the facts to support the LVMPD’s untenable position.”
Burris further wrote: “Over the last several days, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department and its union have begun a smear campaign aimed at demonizing and besmirching the character of Michael Bennett. This victim shaming is a common tactic used by police when they are caught violating a person’s rights.”
The letter further reveals that Las Vegas police are now saying they are investigating whether Bennett was involved in an altercation prior to the incident in which he was detained, which Burris said is an attempt at distraction.
After a union representing Las Vegas police on Thursday asked NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to investigate Bennett, the NFL responded: “There is no allegation of a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy and therefore there is no basis for an NFL investigation.”
The letter from the Las Vegas Police Protective Association Metro claimed that Bennett made “false and defamatory” comments about the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and asked Goodell to “conduct an investigation, and take appropriate action, into Michael Bennett’s obvious false allegations against our officers.”
