Back to the Seattle Seahawks Newsfeed

Seahawks' Michael Bennett pulls out of NFL players Israel trip

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett won't make a planned trip to Israel out of concerns the visit will be used for political purposes.

Bennett, 31, was scheduled to go to to Israel along with several other NFL players later this month, but decided against it after an open letter to the players from The Nation on Thursday.

The letter, which, authored by sports editor Dave Zirin and signed by the likes of political activist Angela Davis and athlete/activist John Carlos, among others, urged the players to "consider the political ramifications of a propaganda trip organized by the Israeli government that aims to prevent players from seeing the experience of Palestinians living under military occupation.