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Former Patriots DE Michael Bennett retires after 11 seasons: ‘Feels a little like death of self'

Michael Bennett has announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons, the last of which included an eventful part-season run with the New England Patriots.

Speaking to The New Yorker, Bennett said that he’d been heavily considering retirement even before the coronavirus pandemic began to shift the NFL landscape. Bennett, one of the NFL’s most vocal players and a longtime social justice activist, said that loves the game, but began to truly question the structure of the league this offseason.

Ultimately, Bennett made his retirement public with his comments to the New Yorker and an Instagram post Tuesday morning.