Michael Bennett plans to sit during anthem throughout 2017 season

Michael Bennett sat for the national anthem during the Seattle Seahawks' preseason opener Sunday, and the outspoken defensive end said after the game that he plans on continuing his protest throughout the 2017 campaign, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.

"I want to be able to use this platform to continuously push the message ... of how unselfish you can be as a society," Bennett said. "How we can continuously love one another and understand that people are different, and just because they're different, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't like them. Because they don't smell the way you smell and they don't eat what you eat, because they don't pray to the same god that you pray to, doesn't mean that you should hate them. Whether it's Muslim or Buddhists or Christianity, whatever it is, I just want people to understand that no matter what, we're in this thing together. It's more about being a human being at this point."

The 31-year-old sat on the Seahawks' bench during the anthem prior to Seattle's 48-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers while his teammates stood with locked arms.

Bennett has long been one of the NFL's most vocal players, defending Colin Kaepernick's protests from last season and saying he believes the NFL is blackballing the quarterback.