Martellus Bennett doesn’t feel the need to ‘stick to sports,’ and he’ll tell you why
Martellus Bennett is not afraid to take a public stance on a variety of topics, and the Patriots tight end was at it again immediately after his team won the Super Bowl, telling reporters that he would not accompany it for the traditional champions’ White House visit. On Tuesday, Bennett posted a lengthy string of tweets, in which he took issue with the notion that athletes such as himself should “stick to sports.”
“When you look at me what do you see? I know you wanna ask me what sport I play. I mean what else could I possibly be besides an athlete,” Bennett wrote on Twitter. “When you look at me, see the father, the awesome dad, the author, film director, business owner, champion, friend, Hufflepuff beast.”
The ninth-year pro, who also founded The Imagination Agency, a company that produces books and other content for children, emphasized that not only was he much more than an athlete, he had an obligation to be so, beginning with his status as an African American.
“I have two libraries in my house. Thousands of books,” he tweeted. “I love to read, because I know that for a long time [my] ancestors weren’t allowed to.
“I love to write. Because for a lonnnnnngg time my people weren’t ‘allowed’ to. So I’m going to write my books, my apps, and tell my stories.
“I’m going to speak my mind because guess what . . . that’s right for a looonngg time my ancestors didn’t have a voice.”
Shut up and stick to sports!! Enjoy the low hanging fruits Marty. Don’t climb to the top of the Apple tree and taste that high hanging fruit
— Martellus Bennett (@MartysaurusRex) February 7, 2017
Bennett said that…