Martellus Bennett’s controversial Black Olympics video

Martellus Bennett uploaded what he thought was a harmless competitive eating video with his brother and fellow NFL player Michael Bennett last week. Now it’s a racial politics issue because of the title: “Black Olympics”.

The video is a simple competition between two brothers having a bit of fun in the NFL offseason, Martellus from his job as tight end for the Dallas Cowboys, and Michael from his role as running back for the Seattlw Seahawks. The problem is the food they are eating: chicken wings, Kool-Aid and then watermelon.

The backlash over the video, part of a series on YouTube released by Martellus Bennett under the title of Marty TV, is now causing editorial comment like this one in the Dallas Morning News which accuses Bennett of disrespecting his ancestors.

The furore has caused Bennett to film an interview with ESPN’s Michael Irvin. “It depends on your sense of humor and how you look at things. We were just having fun and it was very funny for me and my brothers, when I look at it I just can’t stop laughing. If someone takes offense, I apologize. That wasn’t my intention. It was just us having fun,” he said.