By MARQUES EVERSOLL
“In Texas, you can be a horse, but in New York, you can be a unicorn.”
Now in Green Bay, Martellus Bennett answers questions on the first day of training camp while wearing a cheesehead at his locker. Just prior to his locker room media availability, Bennett could be overheard explaining to safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix how he purchased the cheesehead with his own money — with a 30 percent discount — before answering questions from defensive tackle Mike Daniels.
Such interactions with his new teammates suggest that Bennett is living up to his self-described label: “The Captain of Fun.”
When the Packers signed Bennett on March 10, it was like the 6-foot-6, 275-pound tight end yelled “cannonball!” and interrupted what is typically the calm waters of free agency in Green Bay.
For the Packers, it’s a rare free-agent splash. For Bennett, moving to the next NFL city is business as usual, as Green Bay will be the fifth stop in Bennett’s career.
“It’s nice if you go on your first date and meet the woman you want to marry and be with her for the rest of your life, but there’s nothing wrong with having to go on 100 dates to find that one person for you, so for everybody it’s different,” Bennett said. “I should write that one down.”
It’s still early, but Bennett has certainly been a change-of-pace in the locker room. Now 30 years old, he’s completely comfortable with who he is, and can point to when the lightbulb went on for him to just be himself.
“We all go on journeys of self-discovery, and for me, that journey just happens over the years as you get older,” Bennett said. “I was 20 when I got drafted, 21, so you don’t really know who you are as a person … When I went to the (New York) Giants as a free agent is when I really transformed. I always say in Texas, you can be a horse, but in New York, you can be a unicorn … New York changed my life.”
For some, the witty one-liners and locker room sleep might be seen as a “distraction.” Clearly, I’m not in that camp. In fact, I’ve almost forgotten what Packers offseason was like before the team signed Bennett. The man can tweet, and immediately have Green Bay sports radio talking about cereal. And before you suggest Bennett’s loose personality may interfere with him doing his job… pause.
“Getting your work done is fun,” Bennett said. “Just do it in a fun way. I’ve never not gotten my work done because I’m having fun, it’s just that I’m having fun while getting my work done … As far as being focused, even if I’m laughing, I’m still focused on the task at hand. I just like to do it while laughing.”
The first day of training camp is in the books in what’s sure to be a fun year for the Green Bay Packers.
Marques Eversoll hosts “Air it Out” (9-11 AM) weekday mornings, and co-hosts and produces “SportsLine” (4-6) PM weekday afternoons. He’s on Twitter @MarquesEversoll, and accessible via email at [email protected].
