After spending the 2023 season away from the Los Angeles Rams, quarterback Stetson Bennett has returned to the team and provided some details about the reasons for his absence.
Bennett was expected to be selected by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft and take over as the backup to Matthew Stafford, but after missing the season opener, the team placed him on the non-football injured list for undisclosed reasons and coach Sean McVay said he would not disclose the reason for the move.
Quarterback Bennett will be away for the rest of this season, but will return ahead of the 2024 season to compete for a backup position. On Tuesday, he spoke to reporters for the first time since leaving the team. When asked why he left, George said it was because of his hometown, but added, “We’re not going to disclose the reason or what happened within the team.”
When asked if it was accurate to say it fell under the category of mental health, Bennett replied: “Yeah, I guess it does.”
“Obviously it was (difficult) but we thought it was necessary at the time,” Bennett said.
Bennett also thanked general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay for allowing him to be away from the team. He said he was nervous when he returned, but he got used to it and “it’s good to be back playing football.” Bennett added that during his time away from the team, he realized he loved playing sports.
“I look forward to coming here every day,” he said. “I feel like I’m starving every day when I come here.”
Bennett was a college football star at Georgia who went from walk-on to Jones University before returning to the Bulldogs. In Athens, he led Georgia to back-to-back national championships in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rams QB Stetson Bennett says he took time off last season for his mental health
