Martellus Bennett, Jermichael Finley disagree on NFL players’ anthem protests

The Green Bay Packers have had plenty of big personalities on the roster over the years, and many of these individuals have drawn both praise and ire for their opinions and comments. For some reason, however, it seems that the tight end position — at least recently — has seen bigger personalities than other positions.

On Monday, a current Packers tight end called out a former one on Twitter, where the two have been arguably at their most vociferous. It all started with former Packer Jermichael Finley, who tweeted out the following:

As far as we can tell, there was no specific prompt for this tweet. However, it certainly appears to come in the context of the continuing discussions about Colin Kaepernick’s unemployment and comments from other NFL players about sitting or kneeling during the national anthem prior to games. Among those players who have discussed that course of action this weekend are Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch and Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, who said that he plans to sit during the anthem all season long.

Of course, Michael Bennett’s brother is Packers tight end Martellus Bennett. Let’s just say that Finley’s comments about playing football and keeping one’s mouth shut didn’t sit well, and he decided to call out Finley on his opinion (and his typo, for that matter), perhaps pointing out that Finley is no longer relevant:

In addition to his role on the team as a veteran free-agent signing, Bennett has quickly become a leader in the locker room, thanks in part to his unique personality and off-the-field exploits. His difference of opinion on this matter should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed those activities and his comments in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, fellow Packer Ha Ha Clinton-Dix decided to jump into the fray as well (as did former Packers cornerback and former Finley teammate Casey Hayward):

More and more, NFL players are choosing to speak up about the social issues that are at the forefront of modern American discourse, and the ongoing Kaepernick saga is a constant reminder of now divisive those issues can be. It should come as no surprise that Bennett is among that group of players, and it seems that his and Clinton-Dix’s responses are indicative of the prevailing opinion in today’s locker room about demonstrations like Michael Bennett’s or Kaepernick’s.