HOUSTON (AP) – Authorities issued a warrant Friday for the arrest of Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Bennett, accused of injuring a paraplegic woman as he tried get onto the field at last year’s Super Bowl to celebrate with his brother.
The Harris County district attorney’s office said the warrant was issued after a grand jury indicted Bennett on a felony count of injury to the elderly.
Bennett was a spectator at the game at NRG Stadium in Houston in February 2017 when he tried to get onto the field immediately afterward to see his brother, Martellus Bennett, a tight end for the Patriots at the time, officials said in a statement. Prosecutors allege he pushed through security personnel, including a 66-year-old disabled woman who had told him to use a different entrance to access the field.
The charge of injury to the elderly can be filed if a person intentionally or knowingly causes injury to a person 65 or older. It carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Harris County authorities say they’re talking with Bennett’s legal team about surrendering on the charge.